Spring is here! Hop on your bike and take advantage of it!

Get your daily exercise on your way to work and put the pedal to the metal!

The sun is shining. The weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancingfeet. Well, Bob Marley had it mostly right. The sun is shining and it is sweet, but right now it makes me want to move my bike pedals!

One of my best friends used to bike to work all the time, rain or shine. Now that's impressive! But it is equally impressive to make the effort on the sunny days! If there is ever a perfect time to consider commuting by bicycle, spring and summer is the time to do it! It's National Bike Month in the USA and June is Canada's National Bike to Work month. To all our Canadian friends, let's get a pedal up on the trend and to all our American friends, May has just arrived and it's time to put the pedal to the metal!

Biking is fun and easy way to exercise and get all your muscles working and your heart pumping. It can also be a way to save money on parking, help the environment, and skip the the traffic and hectic roads! If you've never biked to work and find the very thought of it daunting, then ease it into your routine. Start going for bike rides and get your muscles used to the movement. Try doing other exercises like lunges, squats and the plank to make your leg and core muscle groups strong.

Increasing your fitness activities can never hurt! Learn about more useful exercises to help you get ready for this beautiful biking weather from Alive Magazine's Dust Off Your Wheels.

Image source: Edmonton Sun

Discover the Top 10 Workouts for Fall!

Get out of the gym and into shape!

Autumn is here and with this season, comes colder weather; and with the colder weather often comes heartier appetites and occasions for comfort food. I know that I have to make even more of a conscious effort to eat well, exercise and not to become a winter couch critter! But does the chilly weather mean I have to go the gym?

Just because summer is over, doesn't mean you have to workout indoors! It's true that when the rain and cold weather comes, it's not as appealing to go outside but I think these fun outdoor fitness activities might change your mind!

Fox News shares their Top 10 Fall Workouts that will help keep you in shape and having so much fun not matter how many layers you may need to put on! 

My personal favourite on that list is Ultimate Frisbee. Although...I wouldn't mind raking a huge pile of leaves and jumping in! Get outside and enjoy the fall colours and crisp air. Just remember to bundle up!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Image source: egotvonline.com

Another post from Richard Martinez on how he's making time for Movement with the help of a Plan, Music & PGX!

From the man that brought you Movement, Music & PGX, comes some easy tips on how to motivate yourself to maintain your weight loss goals!

Now that school is back in session we all have a lot less time on our hands. We have to think about things like packing lunches and backpacks, ensuring that homework is done and getting the kids to school on time. Throw on top of that guitar lessons, soccer, baseball training and, before you know it, you're left with little time for yourself and your workouts.

As a result, it's easy to forget about your workout routine and rely on takeout for nutrition. But I'm here to tell you: don’t do this. Stop yourself right now! It will only result in you losing ground in your weight loss journey.  

Fortunately for me, PGX continues to be a part of my diet. I take it right before every meal and I have not felt the need to have seconds of anything. However, over the past few weeks, I've been overwhelmed with work and have been finding it incredibly difficult to get back into my workout routine. But I promised myself that I would not falter. I kept reminding myself about all that progress that I've made and I remembered how great it felt to lose 50 pounds. (And, by the way, I haven’t gained any of it back!)

Time is precious and I’d rather spend any extra time I have with my sons. So, as is required of parents sometimes, I quickly devised a plan. I scheduled a 30 minute bike ride into my calendar on my iPhone and, by increasing the tension on my stationary bike, I worked out my muscles and still burned fat as the same rate as when I was doing about an hour on the bike before. And guess what? Keeping a shedule, is working.

With that said, you can’t forget about the music! I never do. So, in this series I’ll tell you that I’ve been really into what label owner, Veronika Vasika, is doing with her archive label, Minimal Wave. My interest was sparked when I recently had a chance to see her at New Forms Festival 12. Since then, I’ve been listening to her compilations Minimal Wave Tapes 1 and Minimal Wave Tapes 2 and each compilation is filled with great beats and pulsing rhythms to get your heart moving and give some extra push during your workout!

Image source: Amazon

Hey PGX'ers! It's the weekend!

Scroll on for interesting articles and tidbits from around the web!

It's so hot today! I'm thinking I should start this weekend right with a seriously refreshing Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup and Cauliflower Prosciutto Flatbread from Tartalette!

I don't know if I've trimmed down to my goal yet (I'm working on it; it's going to happen), but here's an article you might find useful! Weight Watchers share their 10 Tips Toning Up Ater Trimming Down. Remember, the real goal we should all have is better health!

It's so good for you to get outdoors and enjoy the greenery and get some clean, fresh air. But sometimes life and unpredictable weather get in the way and you're stuck indoors. Bring some nature inside and green your walls with Woolly Pocket Living Wall Planters!

Bed Bugs. Unfortunately for those little pests, nobody likes them. They won't bring you mysterious diseases but their bites are not pleasant surprise in the morning! If you are travelling, BC Living shares a helpful article on How to Avoid These Nasty Hitchhikers.

Looking for some cool content? Check out the PGX Pinterest page! We've got great photos of delicious recipes, fitness trends, inspiring quotes to get you moving, and much more!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Image source: Au pays des Cactus

Looking for inspiration? Music and movement is the key!

How I lost 50 pounds with exercise, good tunes and PGX!

Over the past several months I have managed to lose 50 pounds. My staff thought it would be a great idea if I shared with you a true story of a PGX user. They have pushed me for a few months now and I have thus caved in to their peer pressure. They all liked the idea of an employee of the company achieving success with PGX. They also wanted me to share the vital elements I needed to meet my dietary and good health goals.  

My diet and exercise plan over the past several months consisted of a steady amount of vitamins, reduced carbs and sugars, a bicycle (both stationary and road), and PGX (of course). By the way, never forget that water. The first piece of advice I will give you: drink plenty of water!

As you can imagine I have inspired my family and many of my friends. They like my new wardrobe and comment on the big smiles I seem to have as of late. Makes me wonder what I was like in the smiles department before! Truly, I could swear I was smiling as much as now.

Going forward, on this blog, I’d like to share my thoughts on how my diet and new way of life is going. Without a doubt, there will be some hurdles. We all have to deal with them. There will likely be days where I am lacking in inspiration. Don’t we all from time to time?

What I really hope to achieve by writing a weekly blog on this topic is to provide you with some of the inspiration behind my recent success.

The primary reason for my decision to lose weight was and is my family: my 2 sons (age 4 &7) and my darling wife. They are really the foundation behind all of this.

Late last year when I visited my doctor for a physical, she provided me with 2 options. The first option was a whole list of pills to, as my doctor put it, “solve the minor issues now!” The second option was exercise and a healthier diet. As you might have already guessed, I chose the latter. So here I am 50 pounds lighter. I’m happier than I’ve been for a very long time and I’ve even starred in a few more family photos than many of the years past.

Exercise & Music is Key

My daily exercise is primarily a stationary and road bicycle. The stationary bicycle has now become a favourite of mine. It has become a family affair as well. My sons listen to my music, make requests and tease/cheer me on once they see me start to lag! I wonder what incentive their mother has offered to them. I make these music selections via my iPod and my trusty Bose Soundlink.

So what music gets me pumped and cycling to the max? Well, my constant has been Kraftwerk. The albums that get me moving include Autobahn, Trans Europe Express and, my sons’ favorite, Computer World. These German Future-Retroists are responsible for some of the best synth-pop to come out of the 1970’s-1980’s. They’re inspiring too as they had an obsession with the past, the future and with cycling. For particular reference, check out Tour de France. This is sure to provide you with that extra push you will need after an hour on the bike. The track features cyclist grunts, bicycle chains, and more.

Till my next post, watch what you eat. Stay true to your goals and let us know what you do to achieve your healthier living goals!

Image source: iBike Blog