Train Like an Angel!

It's not all fluff and poses for the Victoria's Secret models. They work to be runway ready!

Whether you are interested in fashion or not, you have undoubtedly seen many many times, images and ads of terrifyingly thin models and photoshopped movie stars floating around. Almost everywhere we look now, there they are: skinny girls and doctored photographs setting an impossibly high and unhealthy standard for body image.

Here's a different image of a model:

It is refreshing to see a company and it's models promote a healthier lifestyle and share their workouts. Yes, these women still seem incredibly small but at least we know they actually work for their figures. Aside from the videos they share, here's another tid bit to consider: many of the wings they wear on the runway are actually quite heavy! These models have put up to 50 pounds of extra weight on their backs while still keeping their walk tall and stilettos firmly on the ground!

In preparation for this year's show, they've started sharing new videos and tips from celebrity trainer, Justin Gelband, to help viewers and fans "Train Like an Angel!"

Don't get jealous; get fit! Until tomorrow PGX'ers...

Image source: Hello Daily News

Today's Fitness Trend is the Medicine Ball Workout!

Get fit and toned with 9 moves and 1 tool!

I don't do gyms. I've tried before; I've gone through the motions of getting a gym membership and scheduling gym sessions into my routine but somehow, it didn't last. For those of us on a tight budget, the gym isn't always a priority either. Luckily, it's possible to get a workout without fancy gym machines! This weeks Friday Fitness Trend features just one small tool that can get you in shape and on your way to better health with just nine moves: the medicine ball.

Here's a weighted tool that I've seen before but never really knew how to use effecitively. If you feel the same way, Shape Magazine has shared a simple and straightforward set of exercises using a medicine ball that, when performed properly, can work wonders in your overall fitness ability and core stability.

Medicine Ball Workout: 9 Moves to Tone Every Inch.

Why is this a good workout? Well, it's easy to do at home and it allows you to be flexible. You can choose how many times a week and how many reps for each movement, enabling you to build up your fitness level. Each of the nine movements also works to improve your core stabilty which in turn, can help you improve posture and avoid lower back pain!

Have a healthy weekend everyone!

Image Source: Shape Magazine

Looking for some extra exercise? Opt for the stairs!

Find out what the stairs and tower racing can do for you!

In our search for the perfect workout that will get your heart pumping and muscles burning, sometimes we miss the obvious choices. If you are the gym and trying to decide which machine to use, try the stair climbers! Even more effective in boosting cardio and toning up those muscles are a real set of stairs.

Whether you walk or run up them, you will definitely gain more than when you take the elevator. Stair climbing is a low-impact workout and will not harm your knees! If you want to avoid high impact on your joints, it's the way back down that you have to keep in mind. That's when you walk or (if you must) opt for the elevator. But I'm willing to bet that if you opt for those stairs, you'll find yourself in better shape before you know it!

We're not the only ones who like the idea of running up the stairs. A recent trend that is on the rise—no pun intended—is stair-climbing races, or tower races. Now there are more than 100 tower races in the US and 60 around the world, most of them for charity. Exercise, health, and charity: what's not to like?

On top of the cardio boost and stronger legs you gain from stairs, you can also use the rails to pull yourself up and keep your arms working like L. A. Times writer, Roy Wallack. Check out his story on this lofty racing trend and you may just find yourself inspired to join in on the climbing fun!

Stair Climbs: Getting a leg up, by Roy Wallack, L. A. Times Health.

Keep it healthy everyone and conquer those stairs! To learn more about the when, where and why of tower racing, check out Towerrunning.com.

Image source: njhealthandbeauty.wordpress.com

We're getting inspired by Olympic cycling!

Read on to discover 7 reasons why you should start biking!

It's Thursday and I have a Thursday obsession to share with you: biking. Now, I don't actually bike myself (yet), so what could I possibly talk to you about biking you wonder?

With the Olympic competition heating up, I'm starting to feel more inspired to 'up' my sporting activities. The cycling events are popular with my family (we have cyclists among us) and that got the "time-to-get-inspired-to-exercise-and-maybe-try-biking" wheels in motion. I've gone biking before but never with physical fitness as the end goal. As a kid, it was a fun thing to do with my neighbourhood friends. Then biking became a once in a while trip to the dike by the Fraser River, or one of my out of shape attempts to keep up with my friend as we cycled up and down the hills of the city!

Yes, clearly biking has been low on my radar of fitness regimes for quite some time. But just as I started to watch the Olympics and contemplate the idea of biking for exercise, an article from Women's Health appeared on my internet browser: 7 Reasons to Start Bike Riding.

If you're like me and need extra motivation to start biking (or a sign from universe that you should give it a go), read these seven reasons and you'll soon find yourself pumping air into the tires and peddling around in an eco-friendly, healthy way: on your bicycle!

Image source: London2012.com

Hey PGX'ers! What are you up to this weekend?

Tough Mudder 2012 is hitting Whistler Olympic Park this weekend!

Organized by the British Special Forces, Tough Mudder is an adventure challenge designed to test your strength, stamina, mental grit and comaraderie while raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. This weekend several of my fellow employees are stepping up to the plate and participating in this year's event.

Check out the video below to see what it's all about! Here's my question: would you do it? Sound off in the comments!