Kerry Ann King of New York City was never a willowy, lanky child, and instead carried a short and stout build. Being involved in ballet where tiny and petite were the norm left her feeling like a square peg in a round hole.
To make matters worse, the ballet school Kerry attended encouraged dieting even at a young age to keep a slim physique. Kerry, now 44, recalls dancing 10-12 hours days on nothing but a few pieces of fruit. But when she quit dancing at age 15, her less active lifestyle and confused metabolism led to quick and steady weight gain. When she ventured into other sports she eventually injured her knee, which led to a cycle of rehab/recovery/re-injury that only further piled on the weight.
It wasn’t until Kerry became pregnant that she realized permanent changes to the way she ate and treated her body were necessary. During her first pregnancy Kerry found benefit in reading the classic pregnancy book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” Read Full Post >
Have you ever heard someone say “put it it out to the universe” and wondered what they meant by it? Well, I have and for a long time I wasn’t exactly sure how or what I was supposed to be putting “out” to the universe. It wasn’t until I first went onto The Biggest Loser did I really try to figure it out either. I knew that I was being given the opportunity of a lifetime and I wanted to take full advantage of it, so I tried to recall any and every thing I had ever heard anyone attribute success to. One thing that kept coming to mind was the idea that if I put my goal of becoming the first female Biggest Loserout to the universe it would in fact come true. But what did that mean exactly?
I remember years ago hearing that if you wanted to create a million dollars you should write yourself a check for $1,000,000.00 and paste it somewhere that you saw everyday, several times a day. I also knew that this didn’t work because I, like everyone else who had ever heard that had done, wrote the check and taped it to my mirror. Yet I never created a million dollars. So there had to be more to it. Read Full Post >
Zumba stormed 2012. In fact, it’s stormed the better part of the last decade. The whole world was in on the fitness dance craze as it took Inc. Magazine’s Company of the Year distinction and last summer was named thelargest fitness brand in the world. It looks like they’re trying to maintain the momentum this year with a few new additions to welcome newbies or hold the interest of loyalists. One of the newest forms of Zumba is called Zumba Sentao.
Zumba Sentao has one major difference from the standard routines – it involves a chair. The Zumba website says the chair will become your dance partner and help amp up the results during routines that are supposed to help strengthen, balance, and stabilize your core muscles. The routines are being taught in classes, however, Zumba wants them to be easy enough to be done in one’s home, too. Read Full Post >
Has anyone not heard of Gangnam Style? It’s the hottest dance craze since the Macarena. It’s lighting up talk shows and living room dance parties from coast to coast and around the world as this South Korean hit makes everyone want to get up and shake their booties. Especially the sexy ladies.
If you haven’t stepped away from YouTube and actually done (or at least attempted) Psy’s Gangnam Style dance, maybe you should. There’s a good 200 calorie burn waiting for you on the down beat of those Womp! Womp! Womps!
According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), “you can burn approximately 150-200 calories per half hour, which is similar to other forms of aerobic dance.” The calorie burn varies, like any other workout, on the weight of the person and the intensity at which it is performed. Read Full Post >
Believe it or not, it is recommended that a healthy adult get150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity. This can range from household chores to hitting that cycling class you’ve always wondered about. For your children, at least 60 minutes of activity a day is needed. Luckily for all of the busy moms and dads out there, exercising with your kids can be a fun way to share family time while getting fit! Working out with your kids can also be a fun way to teach them the value of physical activity and to lead by example. Here are four ways to be physically active with your kids:
Dance!
Small children LOVE to dance, regardless of the music choice. Take this opportunity to dance with them! It doesn’t matter if you look silly because you will both be having fun, and dancing is a great way to burn calories. Make sure that while you bust a move you keep your core braced by pulling the belly button in towards the spine. For toning, try to incorporate moves which twist the midsection back and forth. For cardio, try keeping the arms above the head to get the heart pumping. Read Full Post >
