Author: Chris Ritchie

Creatively cuing you to achieve proper posture and to engage your core is your instructor’s top priority. Without correct alignment and spinal support, it is impossible to safely achieve the results you seek in class or session. Understanding how to get there, however, can be a difficult task. Here are the steps that will get you there! Zip It Up “Pull in your navel, suck in your belly, engage your abs!” These are the cues you likely hear a when standing to achieve a core that is prepared for work. What your instructor is seeking is the narrowing of your…

Overtraining is one of the most common terms in the training world. It is touted as the ultimate training evil and something to be avoided at all costs. But what exactly is overtraining and how can it be avoided? Is there even a danger of undertraining in an attempt stay away from this problem? What is Overtraining? Simply put, overtraining is chronic systemic fatigue from too much stress, principally from training. This seems fairly obvious. Too much training is bad for the body. However, drawing the line between too much and not enough can be somewhat delicate. Knowing the difference…

Dancing isn’t just entertainment—it’s also a full-body workout that boosts your cardiovascular health, balance, and emotional well-being. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gym-goer, incorporating dance into your routine is a fun way to stay fit, flexible, and energized. Explore different styles to see which one speaks to your rhythm! 1. Bellydancing Also known as “Oriental Dance,” bellydancing originated as a folk tradition to celebrate life’s milestones. Today, it’s a core-strengthening activity performed with colorful scarves to beautiful Mid-Eastern music. With its hip-focused movements, bellydancing helps develop core muscles and improve spinal posture. 2. Ballet Ballet isn’t just for…

Take Matters Into Your Own Hands Protein in vegetable foods (such as grains, fruits, and vegetables) are either low, incomplete protein or lack one of the essential amino acids. These food sources are considered incomplete proteins. Plant proteins can be combined to include all of the essential amino acids and form a complete protein. Examples of combined, complete plant proteins are rice and beans, milk and wheat cereal, and corn and beans. Protein is the main component of muscles, organs, and glands. The cells of muscles, tendons, and ligaments are maintained with protein. A healthy weight loss diet should include…

Foods said to burns calories, fact or fiction. Find out now! There’s an avalanche of information about obesity, diseases associated with obesity, healthy eating habits and weight loss (with good reason, 65% of Americans are overweight and flirting with various diseases) so I’d like to look at something I think you may find interesting; negative calorie foods. Ok all foods do have some calorie content but these are foods that actually require more calories to breakdown and digest than the actual food contains. Vegetables: Asparagus, beets , broccoli, cabbage (green), carrots, cauliflower, celery , chicory chili peppers, cucumbers, endive, garlic,…

Losing Extra Weight After Baby Can Be Natural You just had a baby, but during your pregnancy you gained a few extra pounds, pounds you are now ready to relinquish. But wait, they don’t seem to be co-operating. What can you do? Women generally gain between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy and of course lose between 12 and 15 pounds after giving birth. You can help yourself lose the additional weight postpartum. The secret is to breast-feed your child. Research indicates that women who breast-feed their child all or most meals lose more weight in the first six months…

Dieting Rarely Stabilizes Body Composition Dieting remains a popular choice for the uninformed when attempting to lose weight quickly. It’s obvious, we as Americans are in the mist of a serious health dilemma. Being overweight or obese describes close to 70% of the American population; disturbing to say the least. Why are Americans so overweight? The answer to this question varies only slightly depending upon whom you query. But all agree there is a problem. Dr. Susan Finn, former president of the American Council on Nutrition and Exercise says, “it’s a combination of two things – lack of exercise and…

Weighted Hula Hoops Offer a Fun Workout Hula hoops are probably best remembered as a popular children’s toy in the 1950’s. But hoops have recently made a comeback for people looking to shake up their exercise routines. What is Hooping? Hooping is a form of exercise and recreation in which users hula hoop, dance, and perform tricks with personalized hula hoops. Not just any old plastic hula hoop can be used for hooping. Customized hula hoops that are larger than traditional hula hoops are weighted with tape. The larger hoops move more slowly and easily around the body than traditional…

Efficient and Effective Workouts The website www.vibrationtraining.org claims the training method traces its’ roots back about 40 years to Russian cosmonauts. Scientists of the Soviet Space Program discovered that lack of gravity caused cosmonauts to experience significant losses in bone density and muscle mass. Russian scientists began incorporating vibration technology into their cosmonauts training and tracked an increase in bone density and muscle strength. After the success Russians experienced with the cosmonauts, Russian coaches began introducing vibration technology into the training regimens of various athletes and ballet dancers. After the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, NASA learned of…

A Yoga Student’s Opinion About the Swerve Studio Fitness Craze Physical trainers often recommend dance classes as a great way to change up your workout routine and still get your cardio in for the day. Dancing builds strength, endurance, balance and agility while you learn a few new moves. Ever-increasing in popularity, the Yoga Booty Ballet workout was featured on MTVnews with Lillix, and is the subject of several “as seen on TV” style infomercials. A workout video series produced by “Beachbody” and hosted by teachers Teigh McDonough and Gillian Marloth, the co-founders of the Los Angeles studio “Swerve”. Teigh…