"My Anaconda Don't..."

As the first month of 2015 is coming to a close, I like to think back to 2014 and try to visualize what stood out in pop culture.

First thing that pops into my head, and you'd agree vividly remembering Nicki Minaj's music video and song for "Anaconda." Which was a tribute/remake to "Baby Got Back." Ironically, this was one of my favorite songs growing up.....

Pop culture has announced 2014 was the year of the booty because of mainstream singers/rappers promoting their behinds as the new "it" thing.

Images like these were flooding the gates of social media, marking a new dent into the mainstream.

And even Ellen got in on the fun.

What's the point of all this you ask? This obsession about having a big booty is a positive thing, or at least I think so, for positive reasons. For ages women wanted a smaller butt, smaller this, thinner, that, etc. I personally think these celebrities are doing good, by paving a new way how women look at themselves.

Which brings me to the notion of, when is having a small butt sexy? Look for yourself.

                                       

Now that have proven my point, I will tell you all how to achieve strong, powerful and sexy glutes!

Reasons why you need strong glutes:

1. To do anything athletic, your glutes are your prime movers. So, if you want to be able to lift something in your daily life, you use your legs, not your back!

2. Glute power and strength will translate into other activities. (All those people with dirty minds reading this should stop thinking right now!!!) You will dominate in sports, gym life and looking great in clothing.

Being able to lift heavy things like this coach named Neghar Fonooni,, is one way to make you feel confident. If you notice, she is pulling 255lbs for 3 reps, and she stands about 5"2 and probably weighs in around 130lbs.

Now we can put to rest that stupid staying that women who lift heavy turn into the hulk... You will not get big...So lets pick up heavy things and put them down, shall we?

Now you are probably so hyped up and ready to get strong sexy glutes to show off. Here are my 3 recommendations when it comes to building these pillars of sexy.

1. The Kettlebell Swing.  For those who do not know how to swing, I'd recommend finding a certified HKC, RKC or SFG instructor that has hours upon hours of coaching experience to teach you this exercise. *cough* me... *cough*

2. Glute Bridge/Hip Thurst. Depending what level you are at, the glute bridge and hip thrust exercises are crucial to glute development. The guy in the video is known as Bret Contreras AKA "The Glute Guy" in our industry. If you want to know in depth scientific reasons why glutes are the best muscles in the world, look him up! 

3. The Deadlift. Probably one of the key movements to building your glutes. Not only is this the creme de le creme of exercise, it has vast and endless amount of benefit for your body.

As deadlifts sound like some sort of witch craft, it is one of the most technical lifts out there. Which again, I highly recommend hiring a well educated and experienced coach *cough* me *cough* to teach you.

Putting all this together....

Now that I have given you all this information, put it to good use and start implementing these exercises into your programs. If you do not have a program set up, shoot me a comment or email as I offer online training.

Last thing,

For women it is difficult to accept and appreciate their bodies. Remember, what you see in the media is not real. But you can always become a healthier and happier you with proper training and nutrition.

So, the next time you look in the mirror to criticize every single flaw you can come up with, from head to toe. Instead, try saying 3 things you like about your body, and remember you're you, not anyone else. Don't compare, appreciate!

Resources: 

http://www.negharfonooni.com/

http://bretcontreras.com/

New Year New Me......

As January is coming to an end, many of us are realizing all of our weight loss goals have not even started....

The constant thoughts of "I'll start on Monday" or "The first week of January we had New Years Eve, so I'll just start the following week" and the best one "I'm eating pretty good so far this new year...." 

Honestly, no..no, you're not...

Many of us are still like this.....

            

As much as I like binge watch Pretty Little Liars on Netflix, and continually ask myself why do I care at all about this new "it girl" Hanna Marin that just became the "queen bee" at her highschool....

Sometimes taking control of your life a bit is a little more important. Plus it's another reason for you not to constantly come up with fake stories to hide the truth behind staying up late watching a "couple more episodes" while munching on a bag of chips.

That's why I have created and outlined an easy 5 step process to a healthier you below.

1. Water. Probably the easiest thing you can do everyday. I recommend 3 liters every day.

With the clients I train I always recommend purchasing a 1 liter water bottle to carry around at all times. Then place 3 rubber bands around it, or 3 hair ties for the ladies, as my girlfriend loves to mark her territory and loose them all over my apartment. This could potentially fix the epidemic of missing hair ties for women across the world.

As you drink 1 liter of water from your bottle, simply take 1 band off, and you can easily track how much water you had throughout the day.

2. Throw away the crap. I mean seriously, go look into your fridge and pantry, tell me what you see! If it looks like this below, THROW IT OUT AND STOP MUNCHING ON IT!!

I know these are extreme examples but you'd be surprised how easily you can convince yourself that those "gluten free" cookies are good for you....They are still cookies! Gluten free doesn't make them healthy!

If you are unsure what you should or should not eat, post a comment below and I will answer you to the best of my ability.

3. Eat your vegetables! Remember growing up as a kid and Mom would bug you to eat your vegetables at dinner? Well she was right. How much GREEN vegetables are you eating? 

"I eat a big salad at dinner" Well to be honest that's not enough. Every time you sit down or are on the run to eat, make sure you have some sort of vegetable that's green.

4. At least 15 minutes a day of exercise! The main excuse I get from clients is trying to find the time to get a workout in for 1 hour in their schedules. Well, if you consider yourself as the busiest person in the world, I'm sure you can somehow find 15 minutes in your day. 

Why 15 minutes? Well according to #science there have been studies that have shown 15 minutes of moderate exercise every day can decrease your chance of heart disease. 15 minutes! That's it! Get to it now!

5. Reward yourself. Now I am not all hard core and eat like a rabbit 100% of the time. I am human too. I enjoy demolishing a huge bag of Cheetos to myself while sitting on the couch realizing how disgusting I feel I am after finishing....

But, if you:

- Sipped 3 liters of water every day

- Threw out any temptation food in the house

- Exercised 15 minutes every day

- Had vegetables at every meal during the week

You SHOULD reward yourself for being so dedicated and adherent. My prescription? Cheat meal, have something you crave and love to get it out of your system, and then follow the guidelines the following day for another week. Repeat.

PS. Please leave comments below :)

References:

*Wang G, Pratt M, Macera CA, Zheng ZJ, Heath G. Physical activity, cardiovascular disease, and medical expenditures, in U.S. adults. Ann Behav Med. 2004; 28:8894."

    

"Our flaws are what makes us perfect"

"Take another one! I look gross in that picture!"

"Make sure to put a good filter on that one!"

"Whatever you do, don't put that one on Facebook."

"Selfie!"

Sound familiar? Day in and day out in our news feeds all we see are these...

And even the President himself is getting in on the action.

But all duck face jokes aside, there is a serious problem out there for women and men scrolling through their news feeds and comparing themselves to "6 pack" Joe and to Nicki Minaj's ASSets....

Now, that being said I have no problem with people using that imagery of a body for motivation to keep going and start a healthy life style. But having a constant envious and delusional mindset can steer you in the wrong direction. 

The constant body comparing yourself to people like this...... 

No wonder people get discouraged and start thinking they will never achieve success!

I'm pretty sure we all can say we dream to have bodies like the models above, (I really want a six pack) but realistically it would never happen unless we went on a extreme low calorie diet, with no carbs,( I love pasta way too much) dehydration and basically no fun,(wait no wine or beer with dinner?) whatsoever.

If we start focusing on whats important, (your overall health) then physical changes will come along the way. But you need to remember to work with what you got. The less we think about the people they put in magazines and classify them as "perfect" we will then have a better understanding of self acceptance of our bodies. 

I'd suggest throwing away your latest addition of any woman fitness magazine with the airbrushed/photo shopped celebrity on there, and maybe....actually definitely you must delete your new Justin Bieber Calvin Klein underwear wallpaper on your laptop you look at every day for "fitspiration."

And start focusing on yourself, and being a better you.  

"Our flaws are what makes us perfect" - Colson Baker