Beach Barre

Hi Babes! Get ready for a great exercise that will help to lengthen and strengthen your thighs. This should take you about 4 minutes (or your favorite song) to complete. Your legs will feel the burn!  When we get into our cardio interval we will also be working the booty and waistline. Love it. 

Leg Lifts

• Set Up: Engaging the core, float your right leg up as high as you can. Keep your leg straight, starting with your toe pointed. Shoulders stay stacked over your hips. Remember to keep your abdominals engaged the whole time to make sure you don't lean back and to keep this movement out of the hips.  
• Lifts: With a pointed toe, lift the leg 20 times - this should be a small movement and your range of motion should only be about an inch. With each lift try to get your leg one inch higher and lengthen one inch longer. 
• Presses: With a flexed foot bend and extend your leg 20 times - again, this is a tiny little bend. Inhale as you soften the knee and exhale, engaging your abs as you press all the way through the heel.
• Toe Taps: Point your toe and inhale as you slowly lower the leg. Gently tap the floor and exhale as you flex your foot and raise it all the way back up. Point and lower, flex and lift 10 times. 
• Finishing Move: On your last toe tap, hold your leg at the top for 10 seconds. Finish off with 10 more lifts!!
• Stretch: Grab your right ankle and bring your heel to your booty. Drop your tailbone under and enjoy the thigh stretch all the way into the hip. You can do this standing, on the floor, or holding onto a chair or wall. 

Modifications & Advancements: To modify, hold onto a chair or wall to help you balance.  If you're more advanced you can work on your balance with arms extended over head or in front of your body. For a little stability, you can use a ball as pictured below. The more advanced you are, the higher you'll be able to lift your leg. But it doesn't matter how high your leg is as long as it's straight you will feel this. Remember, never compromise your form for height!

Squat, Crunch Interval:

• Set Up: We start with feet shoulder width apart, toes facing forward. Our weight is in the heels as we bend the knees and shoot the booty out behind us. Make sure that the knees are tracking over the toes and we keep the core engaged. Pelvis should remain in neutral.
• Squat: 20 Times pressing through the heels and squeezing the booty at the top. 
• Crunch: Continue squatting but at the top bring your right knee to your elbow and engage your abdominals. Squat again and bring your left knee to the elbow. Keep your arms over head as you squat and crunch as you draw your elbow and knee together. Alternate your knees between each squat for a total of 10 on each side. 

 When you're finished with squats, it's time to do Leg Lifts on the Left! 

The tops of your thighs should be burning during leg lifts.... The more they burn, the more your body is changing! During squats, try to go to the beat of your favorite workout song to keep a steady, fast pace. Get your heart rate up to burn some extra calories! Enjoy, babes :)

Tennis Ball Massage

In a perfect world I would get a massage every week. I lie, maybe more like two or three times a week... what can I say? I love a good massage! I feel relaxed, rejuvenated and with all the classes I teach, my body deserves a little extra attention (at least that's what I tell myself). Truthfully, massage promotes circulation, detoxifies the body, relieves pain, and helps to prevent injury. My sweet husband will occasionally give me a foot massage while we are watching TV or sometimes before bed... but for those days when I need a little extra TLC on a particular area, I love myself a good ol' tennis ball massage. Following the same principals as I explained in this video, you can relieve tension without breaking the bank. All you need is a tennis ball!

Instructions:

• Lay on the floor or lean up against a wall and place the tennis ball on whatever muscle you want to release. (avoid placing the ball on a bone or your spine)
• Roll up and down the muscle as you put pressure onto the ball.
• When you feel a knot or tight spot hold it -- breathing into the tightness until you feel the release.

Again, this can be done on the floor, against a wall, or even sitting in a chair. My favorite spots include my upper back (in between my shoulder blades), my booty and hips, and my feet. I'm not gonna lie, it's not entirely unusual for me to have a tennis ball in my handbag. So, treat yo self and sneak in a little reflexology at work. You know you deserve it :)

Workout at Your Desk

Original Image

After many friends requesting a list of exercises that they can do at work, I've finally put together a list of simple yet effective exercises you can do at your desk. Apart from getting up and doing push-ups and tricep dips on your desk or holding a plank in the middle of the room (awkward) try incorporating these incognito exercises into your daily work life:

• Leg lifts: Sitting tall, extend one leg straight out in front of you. Keeping your leg straight, raise the entire leg up one inch off the seat and hold. From there flex your foot and gently take a small bend in the knee and press all the way out again engaging the top of your thigh. Try to do 30 "mini" presses on each leg. 

• Oblique Twists: With a swiveling chair, hover both feet one inch off of the floor. Feel your waistline getting tighter as your keep your shoulders straight and twist through the waistline engaging the abdominals. Twist 20 times to the right and 20 times to the left keeping your upper body still. 

• Kegels: Especially important for expecting moms like me, kegels will help to strengthen the pelvic floor and improve your posture, digestion and even your love life. Again, make sure that you're seated tall then imagine like you have to pee and you are holding it in as tight as you can. You should feel your tailbone drop and your lower abdominals engage. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat. You can do these all day long. 

• Single Leg Squat/Balance: When getting up and down from your chair, try raising yourself up with just one leg. As you stand, remain standing on one leg and try to balance for about 10 seconds before moving on to your destination. Do the same thing when sitting... don't just plop down in your chair! Balance on one leg as you engage your lower body and control yourself to slowly sit back in your chair. Be sure to do both legs! 

• Inner Thigh Squeeze: Remember the thigh master? Ah yes, this is what we are after. Good news, you don't have to have an actual Thigh Master to get the same workout. Using a pillow, a towel, a pilates ball, a ream of paper, (heck, you don't even really need anything), walk your feet all the way together underneath your desk. Press your knees together and squeeze your inner thighs as tight as you can for 30 seconds. If your using an object, try to squeeze and release the object without letting it fall 30 times. Release for 10 seconds and repeat. Hello inner thighs!

• Hip and Lower Back Stretch: Sitting tall, with a flexed foot, bring your heel across the body to the top of the opposite thigh (Similar to how most guys cross their legs). Lean forward slightly to feel the stretch going into the outer thigh/booty and hip area. Switch legs and do the other side. For a deeper stretch, come up to your toes of your supporting leg.

Can't wait for you to try out my suggestions... let me know how you feel! Did you get a bit of a workout?

Simple Summer Circuit (and a Casio watch giveaway!)

When I'm in a hurry, one of my favorite workouts is a high intensity circuit training. This simple summer circuit will only take 15 minutes. Set your watch timer for five, one-minute intervals.  Do as many reps of each exercise as possible for one minute each, when you're finished take a one minute break... then do it again two more times! 

I've been using my new Kohl's Casio Active Watch to time my intervals and it's been so helpful to transition seamlessly from one exercise to the next. I forgot how much I love wearing a watch!  Kohl's Active Watches are a great fitness tool when going for a run, timing intervals or even set reminders. In an age where we are constantly attached to our cell phones, wearing an active watch allows us to shut out the emails, etc and focus on our workout. Lucky you, I'm hosting a giveaway for a Kohl's Casio Active watch!

Enter To Win: For your chance to win a Kohl's Casio Active watch in Pink or White (as shown above), follow Kohl's on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and tag a friend on the @beachbabefitness Instagram Account. You can enter as many times as you like, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 1st via social media so make sure you follow along. Happy Tagging! xx

5 Minute Exercise to Cure Plantar Fasciitis

I've been experiencing some on and off heel pain known as plantar fasciitis. If you've ever experienced this kind of pain before you know it's not pleasant! It feels like your heel is bruised or kind of like your walking with a pebble under your heel. Not nice.

Plantar Fasciitis can be due to a lot of different things -- for me I think it's exercising barefoot, without enough arch support. The root cause of plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the thick tissue that connects your heel to your toes (the plantar fascia). If you've been suffering from this terrible condition, don't fret. I've got a 5 minute exercise to cure plantar fasciitis for good.

I did 2 rounds of this exercise and my heel pain was gone! All you need is a golf ball, a small towel and some ice. Hope it works for you babes, as well as it worked for me xx

Postnatal Fitness : Abdominal Separation

Today I'm getting real about my body post baby. Did you know that over %40 of women suffer from abdominal separation postpartum? Well, I was one of that %40 (I'm blaming the need the demonstrate abdominal exercises during my pregnancy!). Luckily, I've found several ways to correct this condition known as Diastasis Recti and I'm sharing all my tips and tricks with you...

Online Course : How to Teach a Barre Fitness Class

Hi Babes! I've got some exciting news! Over the past few months I have been working with Curious.com on an online course to teach you how to instruct a Barre fitness class. Over ten lessons and 100 minutes, I break down a Barre fitness class step-by-step.

I'm sharing everything from proper form, technique, and a class template, to my tips and tricks to take your class from ordinary to extraordinary. It's the perfect course for fitness instructors looking to add another type of class to their repertoire or even for someone interested in breaking into the fitness industry but don't know where to start. I share my personal story of how I started teaching as well as my tips to get hired by studios and gyms.

I'm super excited about this course and I'm confident that after 10 lessons, you'll be equipped to start teaching your very own barre class. Head on over to Curious.com and purchase my course here for only $14.99... I know, what a bargain! x

Beach Barre Thighs & Booty (with a Stroller!)

Hi Babes! It's time to work off the weekend with this brand new Beach Babe (stroller) Barre Workout. As you can see, I'm using my stroller as my Barre, which is perfect for mamas. But this exercise isn't just for moms, if you don't have a stroller, you can always use a chair or a wall. Feel the Beach Babe burn as you work the thighs and the booty. It burns so good! x

The 10 Minute Challenge... Shake things Up to Slim Down!

Hi Babes! I'm back and I'm back with a a mission. There's nothing more motivating than hanging out in a bikini all week drinking margaritas and eating chips and guacamole. I'm SO ready to drop this extra baby weight and get back to my sleek physique! (Don't let the photos fool you, I'm still up 10 pounds and I can feel it)

To combat my week of quesadillas and beer and to get back on track to my pre-baby body, I'm challenging myself to increase my normal workout. I'm adding just 10 minutes to my workout by incorporating sprint intervals. Care to join me? This is how I'm shaking things up to slim down...

Literally, it's like 2 of your favorite songs and you're finished. Let's try it for a month and see what happens! 

Beach Babe Video : Pelvic Tucks

Hi Babes! I'm back with a brand new Beach Babe video for you beauties! Pelvic Tucks is one of the very first exercises that I did postpartum and I'm still incorporating it into my daily workout to reignite my lower abdominals.

It's a great exercise for absolutely anyone.  I like to add this in just before the end of my workout to open up the front side of the body and for one final core exercise. It's a safe way to activate your abs while strengthening the back and work your booty all at once!

What's not to love? Try it with me or turn on your favorite song and get to tucking x

You're Invited to try Towel Toning

I am thrilled to announce that my business partner, Virginia, and I will be launching a brand new workout called TOWEL TONING® this weekend at the IDEA World Fitness & Nutrition Expo in Anahiem. I would love for you to be our guest and support us in this new endeavor.

If you are already planning to attend the expo, please come visit us at our booth, # 340 near to the eXertainment stage. And don’t miss our performances! We will be holding demos at our booth all day and we will be presenting on stage, a 15-minute intro to TOWEL TONING® Friday at 6:10pm and Saturday at 4:10pm. 

If you’ve never been to IDEA, it’s an exciting place to meet like-minded individuals from all over the world and see what’s up and coming in the fitness and nutrition industries. Please contact me for your FREE pass!

Let’s re-cap...

WHAT: TOWEL-TONING® at the IDEA World Fitness & Nutrition Expo

WHERE: Anahiem Convention Center

WHEN: Thursday, August 14th 12:00pm - 5:00pm

  Friday, August 15th 12:00pm - 6:30pm

     Saturday, August 16th 11:00am - 7:00pm

For more information, please check out our website, www.TowelToning.com. Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you this weekend! 

Yoga for weight loss?

I gotta admit, I've never been a yogi. I've always loved the idea of yoga, but not until recently have I started to appreciate all of it's benefits. I teach a yoga class every Saturday and slowly but surely it has become one of the best parts of my week.

I mean really, yoga on a Saturday morning on the beach.. what's not to love? Naturally, I made my hubby tag along with me. I had to drag him with me week after week until one week he started to really enjoy the class. The other day, he actually said, "I can't wait for yoga on Saturday." And he told me he thinks the reason why he's lost weight recently and started to feel a lot stronger is in part to yoga. And then yesterday he was doing downward dogs on the beach... what?! Never did I ever think the day would come... Oh how I love my little yogi husband.

But can yoga really make that big of a difference? ... especially if it's only once a week? Yes, my friends, it can.

I recently read an article in Prevention magazine that had a similar message to my post, Is Stress Making Me Fat?! . Since Yoga reduces stress, think about it this way...

Source

The article went on to illustrate several studies that prove how our stress and hormone levels are in direct relation to our weight. Furthermore, these studies show that practicing yoga as little as one day a week, reduces stress levels, balances hormones, and can lead to significant weight loss.

Soooo, if you're the type who hits the cardio full speed ahead to burn as many calories as possible, your body might drop more fat by swapping the treadmill for one day of yoga. Might as well give it a try. I mean, what if it actually works?

If you're not sure where to start, try my Yoga Love in Hawaii Beach Babe video.  Shot in Hawaii, I can feel my blood pressure drop just by watching! I may even need to go back to film another yoga for weight loss video :)

Back Extension... Land Swimming!

Hi Babes! I'm so excited to share a brand new Beach Babe workout video! Oh yes. It's been a few months but now that my baby is 8 weeks, I'm feeling confident with my post baby body and I'm sharing an exercise that I did about 3 weeks post pregnancy (part of this postnatal workout).

This back extension exercise (that I like to call land swimming) strengthens the lower back and it's a great workout to open the front side of your body including your hips and chest. I often do this exercise at the end of my workouts following a lot of lunges or squats. To keep the body balanced, we need to make sure that we open the hip flexors and keep our lower back strong. Side note: It's a great stretch for breastfeeding moms!

Enjoy this 3 minute exercise and feel free to modify or advance to your needs! xo

Towel Toning

I am so excited to share my latest project with all of you today.  For the past few months, I've been working with Virginia Biven, the creator of Towel Toning to brand, develop and launch this amazing new exercise.You may remember hearing about Towel Toning when I featured Virginia as a Beach Babe (you can read the interview here) . Since then, we've been refining the workout, building a brand new website, and I even put together this teaser to get you super excited about TT...

I cannot wait to start teaching Towel Toning at my studios throughout Southern California and soon enough, you will have the opportunity to teach it too! Virginia and I are so excited to launch the workout this year at the Idea World Fitness Convention in August. Number one, if you haven't been to the expo and you're in the fitness world, get it together and go this year. Number two, if you're going to be there, come say hello to me! I'll be Towel Toning all weekend and I can't wait! xx

PS. If you like what you see here, you'll soon be able to purchase your very own Toning Towel so you can "Work it in!" wherever you are.

My First Postnatal Exercise

I got my first workout in yesterday! Yay! Never did I think I'd appreciate my own online videos as much as I do now. Fitting in my workout while Christian sleeps is harder than I thought but... I did it! I realize that if exercise isn't a priority, it really is so tough to get done with a little one.

Let me start by saying that my body is feeling about 90% back to normal. I'm still recovering and taking it easy until I get the OK to return back to my regular exercise schedule but for now, I'm slowly starting to reignite my muscles by doing the following exercises...

I started the day with a 2 mile walk with my hubby and pup. Thank God for my Ergo Baby Carrier , I wouldn't get anything done without it.

To combat the effects of nursing (boy, oh boy that's a workout in it's own) on my body I continued my workout with a back workout including several variations and sets of rows as described in this post.

I also did some of my favorite shoulder stretches like the ones shown below... (I was about 6 months pregnant):

I'm working of getting my hips back to their normal width while getting my booty back in shape so I did one of my favorite booty exercise videos that I filmed when I was first pregnant. Working the outside of the butt, this exercise helps to stabilize the hips while strengthening the outer glutes:

I finished off my workout with pelvic tucks to re-engage my pelvic floor, my abdominals and even the backs of my legs and a few more yoga stretches to open up the front of my body...  I'm planning to post a video next week showing this perfect post-pregnancy exercise.

All that nursing, diaper chaining, etc is certainly paying a toll and I'm doing all I can to relieve my body of it's aches and pains!

Thanks so much for being patient while I spend this precious time with my new baby boy. Stay tuned for more Beach Babe videos as well as some of my diet secrets to get my body back xx

PS. If you're post pregnancy and feeling uncomfortable doing any of the above exercises... don't do them!!

Tone Up Your Arms Anytime, Anywhere

Sorry to say that today's workout is yet another repost. At 35 weeks pregnant, trust me, it's better this way. With that being said, this was one of the first workout videos I ever posted and I don't think it got as much attention as it deserves...

These arm circles may seem wimpy to you, but they are a killer. Also, if you're one of those people who fears "bulking," not to worry, there are no weights involved. Because it requires zero equipment, this is one the the few exercises that you can do anytime, anywhere, no matter your fitness level. Give it a try and notice visibly tighter arms in only four minutes... I promise it works! 

Leg Lifts With Momtastic

Hi Babes! Today I'm bringing you another video presented via Momtastic. At nearly 34 weeks pregnant, it's nearly impossible to show you anything new that's not also safe for expecting mamas. That doesn't mean this exercise isn't good for everyone... we all want a better butt, yes?

These leg lifts target the outside of your booty (the gluteus medius) to strengthen the pelvis. Not only will this exercise help to reduce pain in your hips and lower back, but it will help to slim the hips. I hope you enjoy this short (but painful!) exercise. It burns so good!

Click here to view this exercise via Momtastic. 

PS. Can't wait to bring you some booty spankin' new moves in just a couple of months!

Interval Training

It's that time of year to really step up your fitness routine and get out of your comfort zone. For many of you, it's Spring Break (oh... to have a Spring Break, again) and this is your wake-up call that Summer is right around the corner. If you've gotten comfy doing your same old booty burning workout videos, that's great (especially if you're doing mine)... but it's time to step it up.

I'm reposting an exercise that I posted about a year ago. Interval training, which you can pair with your favorite Beach Babe Videos, will get you in shape in record timing. The best part it that you only need a few minutes to work up a sweat and burn all those excess calories to get that beach body... summer it right around the corner!

I've posted all about the benefits of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) here, and I challenge you to give it your all this week as you try the following workout:

Squat it Out with Momtastic

I'm presenting this week's workout via Momtastic, an amazing website for mamas and moms-to-be where I've had the opportunity to contribute over the past few weeks  (click here to go straight to the workout).  Your exercise for this week is all about the squat. Whether you're expecting or not, we all need work on our squat. When we were young it was a natural position for us, but squatting has become a position of the past, although it has so many benefits... especially for expecting mom's like me!

Not only does the squat tighten and tone the derriere like nobody's business, but it's the best exercise we can do to prepare our bodies for delivery(Yes, in my opinion even better than the kegel!). The squat position shifts our pelvis forward and opens the hips for an easy exit for baby. It's also one of the only exercises that will stretch out the pelvic floor and perineum area. I think we can all agree that avoiding an episiotomy (or tear) is a major priority... so, better get squatting!

For these reasons and so many more, let's squat it out! 

Click here to view your squat workout via Momtastic.

The One Hour Beach Babe Workout

Hi Babes! Today I'm putting together some of my exercise videos to make a one hour Beach Babe workout that will tone, tighten and strengthen your entire body. I've been asked time and time again for a full length workout video and while I haven't made one yet, I'm bringing you the next best thing.  Surprisingly, this is very close to one of the full-length Barre classes that I teach.

If you've already done all of these exercises, that's great news! You won't be confused when we go right into the next exercise :) Some of these exercises I only demonstrate on one side, so you'll have to replay the video to go through the other side, but I've included the link to the next video in the last 20 seconds of each exercise, so just click the link and to go right into the next video. If you need to take a breather for a longer stretch or to grab some water, just press pause!

Equipment:

3-5 lb Weights (or soup cans)

A cushioned surface or yoga mat

Bare feet are encouraged

Bottle of Water

After you warm up, start with Long Lean Arms. Press Play and enter full screen... 

I must admit, it was kind of hard to watch these older videos... I want my body (and my bangs) back! And I want the ability to do a lot of this stuff again. Can't wait to bounce back after baby with some new moves for you!