Monday, February 04, 2008

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I have been practicing the 5 Tibetan Rites everyday for the past 3 months and have experienced a noticeable energy boost. Along with extra energy the Tibetan Rites have made me stronger and more toned throughout my entire body. You may be asking yourself what are these so called Tibetan Rites?

The full body workout consists of doing 5 individual movements, 21 times each. The entire routine will only take 15 minutes out of your day, which can easily be squeezed into a busy schedule. You can easily do the exercises in a small space about the size of a yoga mat. 

 PREPARATIONS:

  • Make sure to use a carpet, towel, yoga mat or padding to prevent discomfort caused from a too hard surface.
  • If you're not used to exercise or have not been formally introduced to yoga techniques of breathing and relaxation, then you will want to start out slowly. Start by performing one to three  repetitions of each of the movements one time each day. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and do not strain or force any position that causes pain.
  • Never hold your breath and be sure to follow breathing instructions.

 RITE 1 

  • Directions: Stand upright, extend your arms at shoulder level away from your body and spin clockwise (if looking at a clock face on the floor). Keep your eyes looking immediately in front of you, do not focus on any one point, let your vision blur as you spin. Turn up to 21 times or until you feel unstable or dizzy.
  • Breathing: breath in and out of your stomach. An opera singer, stage actor/actress or yogi experiences the benefit of breathing from this point of the body. When you stop spinning, breath even more deeply from your stomach until your head stops spinning and your balance returns to normal.
  • Tips: Work your way up to 21 spins. Speed is not so important, just try to spin 21 times and stop.

 RITE 2

  • Directions: Lay down on your back with your arms to your side, palms up, keep your legs straight, begin your inhalation, raise your legs off the ground until as high as possible and pick your head off the ground, bending your neck with your chin falling toward your chest. Begin your exhalation and return to laying flat on the ground. Repeat up to 21 times.
  • Breath In: Raising your legs and head
    Breath Out: Lowering your legs and head
  • Tips: When starting out, bend your legs until your stomach strengthens. Place your hand palm down, under your buttocks to support your lower spine if you feel discomfort. As you progress, straighten your legs and try to raise and lower them at the same speed. Once you have worked up to 21 repetitions, try to move at a nice steady rhythm without stops.

 RITE 3

  • Directions: Kneel with your legs together, arms extended, palms of your hands on the side of your thighs, drop your chin to your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your head and lean back, move your hands to the back of your thighs and let them drop lower and support your weight, crane your head and neck backward, relax your lower spine. Begin your exhalation, start to come forward back to kneeling position with your head back up in the straight position. Repeat up to 21 times.
  • Breath In: Going backward
    Breath Out: Coming forward
  • Tips: When you start this exercise, use the weight of your head to come forward instead of forcing your chin to your chest with your muscles. When you lean back, avoid craning your neck, simple let it drop with its own weight. Eventually, you can bring your shoulder blades toward each other when your in the back position. Keep a steady movement while going backward and forward. Keep your eyes open to keep your balance. Later, try the movement with your eyes closed to feel the difference and see if you can relax even more in the backward position.

 RITE 4

  • Directions: Sit on the floor, legs a little less than shoulder length apart, arms to your sides with hands extended flat on the ground and fingers pointed forward, drop your head toward your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your buttocks off the ground while bending your knees, shift your weight to your arms/hands and legs/feet, continue to raise your buttocks until your truck and thighs are parallel to the ground, let your head fall back. Begin your exhalation and return to sitting position with your head dropped forward. Repeat up to 21 times.
  • Breath In: Raising off the ground
    Breath Out: Returning back to sitting position
  • Tips: When you begin this exercise, just try to get from the starting to ending posture. It's easier to do it than read about it. In the beginning, you might not be used to your body weight on your wrists. Doing some wrist warm-ups before you begin can prevent discomfort. Once you have worked your way up to 21 repetitions, try to perform the movements without stopping.

 RITE 5

  • Directions: Get down on the floor on your hands and knees (in push-up position) with hands and legs a little less than shoulder's width apart. Begin your inhalation, come up on your toes with weight in your arms, straighten your legs, arch your back, lean your head back, do not let any of your body touch the ground except for your toes and hands (Cobra in Yoga). Begin your exhalation, bend at the waist, bend your knees, push your buttocks up into the air, make an inverted V shape with your legs and arms straight, tuck your chin toward your chest (Downward Dog in Yoga), try to put your feet flat on the ground. Begin your next inhalation and repeat up to 21 times.
  • Breath In: Raising up into the inverted V shape
    Breath Out: Lowering out of the inverted V shape
  • Tips: In the beginning, you will need to find were to place your hands and feet to make a complete inverted-V shape. You may do this exercise for years and never get your feet flat on the ground (a symptom of western living and always sitting in a chair). Once you've worked your way up to 21 repetitions, work on keeping a steady rhythm while going in and out of each position.

 Finishing Posture: After Exercise 5, lay flat on your stomach with your arms stretch out from side to side like Christ position. Keep your chin on the ground and close your eyes. Feel you heart pumping and blood circulating through your body. Wait until your hearth beat and breath returns to normal. Turn your head to once side and take a few deep breaths. Relax for 1 minute.

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 Wednesday, September 26, 2007

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The fabulous Carrie Bradshaw played by Sarah Jessica Parker will soon be back, but this time on the big screen. Currently the girls of Sex and the City are shooting scenes for the up coming movie. It looks as though Parker is back in tip top condition for the film, showing off her toned arms and amazing wardrobe.

Achieving sexy toned arms like SJP can be simple as doing basic push-ups in your free time. These are the steps the a perfect push-up:

1. Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms flat on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart, your feet together and parallel to each other.

2. Look forward rather than down at the floor. The first contact you make with the floor with any part of the face should be your chin, not your nose.

3. Keep your legs straight and your toes tucked under your feet.

4. Straighten your arms as you push your body up off the floor. Keep your palms fixed at the same position and keep your body straight. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up.

5. Exhale as your arms straighten out.

6. Pause for a moment.

7. Lower your body slowly towards the floor. Bend your arms and keep your palms in fixed position. Keep body straight and feet together.

8. Lower body until chest touches the floor. Try not to bend your back. Keep your knees off the floor, and inhale as you bend your arms.

9. Pause for a moment. Begin straightening your arms for a second push-up. Exhale as you raise your body.

Start by doing 30 push-ups with 30 second intervals between every 10. After building strength increase by doing 10 more. You'll notice results in no time at all!

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 Thursday, June 14, 2007

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Personal trainer to the stars and the author of Fit and Sexy For Life Kathy Kaehler shares some celebrity bikini bod secrets with Us Magazine:

Cameron Diaz - Abs

To get washboard abs like surfin' cutie Cam, Kaehler suggests working your core. "Cameron's incredibly toned in her midsection - her core. A lot of that comes from having such tremendous balance, and we can see that because she surfs. When you surf, you've got core strength and that's going to develop all the abdominals. You can see it because she's lean. To mimic that, try some exercises on a stability ball," she advises. "You could do a yoga-based move, like the plank, where you're on your forearms."

Madonna - Arms

This dancing queen - and 40-something mom! - tones her physique with yoga and Pilates, but Kaehler affirms that similar results can be achieved at home - sans equipment! "Madonna has been exercising for ages and stays very lean. [People] think if we do the exercise, [their] arms will turn out like that, but you have to follow the whole program that they do," she explains. However, she reveals "great exercises to do are as basic as the push up, targeting your shoulders, chest, and triceps -the key areas, especially for women. Your shoulders give you that much stronger pulled-back look and definition for all the different sleeveless outfits!"

Michelle Pfeiffer - Legs

Sure, young Hollywood is toned, but don't forget about the older, er, more mature, stars. Kaehler cites Michelle Pfiefer, currently set to star with John Travolta in the silver screen version of Hairspray, as a model client and says this leggy blonde loves working her sexy stems. "I started with her on Batman Returns in the early 90's and we trained for 5 months straight at 4:30 in the morning. We did a lot of different leg exercises like a leg lift series where you're on your side. And you can do it with bands, a leg weight, or your own body weight, doing a series of them. It's a fun exercise because you can do it home and you really feel the burn."

Jessica Biel - Butt

Have Biel booty envy? Our fitness guru suggests getting cheeky with her favorite exercises: squats and lunges. "Anyone who wants to reshape their butt and lift it up [needs these]." But for those gym rats tired of their old workout routine, Kaehler recommends putting a new spin on traditional exercises. "I challenge people who have done [squats] after a while to wear a weight vest. If you've got that on, take 25 playing cards and do squats, putting one card down at a time like you're dealing. That way, you don't have to count and you're getting down far enough to the floor plus you've got the weight of the vest," the trainer tells Us.

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 Friday, April 27, 2007

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“If somebody were to mess with me, I’d feel very confident after all the training that I’ve had. I’d probably draw on some of the defensive stuff I learned on Blade. I do sort of feel unstoppable.”
-- Jessica Biel

These are four strength training exercises that you can do anywhere:

1. Squats.

Why They Rock: Most trainers agree that squats are one of the best exercises you can do. Squats work your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves all at once.

How to Do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight ahead or angled slightly outward. Slowly bend the knees and lower hips towards the floor, keeping your torso straight and abs pulled in tight. Keep your knees behind your toes; make sure everything's pointing in the same direction. Do not go lower than 90 degrees. Do this move 2-3 non-consecutive days a week for 12-16 reps

2. Push Ups.

Why They Rock: Push ups, like squats, are compound movements using almost all the muscles of your body. You'll work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back and abs.

How to Do It: Position yourself face down on the floor, balancing on your toes/knees and hands. Your hands should be wider than shoulders, body in a straight line from head to toe. Don't sag in the middle and don't stick your butt up in the air. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body to the floor, stopping when your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale and push back up. Variations include incline, decline, wall pushups or, for masochists, one-armed pushups. Do this move 2-3 non-consecutive days a week and add a rep each time you do the exercise.

3. Lunges.

Why They Rock: Like squats, lunges work most of the muscles in your legs including your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

How to Do It: Stand in a split-stance (one leg forward, one leg back). Bend knees and lower body into a lungeposition, keeping the front knee and back knee at 90 degree angles. Keeping the weight in your heels, push back up (slowly!) to starting position. Never lock your knees at the top and don't let your knee bend past your toes. Variations: front lunges, back lunges and side lunges. Do this exercise 2-3 times per week for 12 to 16 reps.

4. The Plank.

Why It Rocks: The plank (or hover) is an isolation move used in Pilates and Yoga and works the abs, back, arms and legs. The plank also targets your internal abdominal muscles.

How to Do It: Lie face down on mat with elbows resting on floor next to chest. Push your body off the floor in a pushup position with body resting on elbows or hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat as many times as you can. For beginners, do this move on your knees and gradually work your way up to balancing on your toes.

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 Wednesday, March 07, 2007

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Here's actress Kirsten Dunst kayaking in the ocean. Kayaking is quite the workout and so much fun too. If you like the ocean and need a good workout, you may consider renting a kayak and making a weekend out of it. The average person burns about 340 calories with an hour of kayaking.

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