Get your exercise groove on!

Put on those tunes and get pumped to move. There's nothing like a good song to get you going!

I have a confession: I always get lazy before a workout! I'm not even kidding, before every workout, I sit myself down and realize that I begin to make up any excuse I can thinkof to avoid getting out of my house and driving to a dance class or the gym! Other than pure will power (which, let's face it, is difficult to muster more often than not!), the only thing I can think of that ever helps me get my head out of that mind set is a really good song.

Not only does music help me concentrate at work, it helps me to want to move and keep on going! A good song with a really great hook is usually all I need to get myself off the couch and, at the very least, dance like a fool for an hour in my kitchen! 

So I'd like to share with you my top three make-me-want-to-jump-up-and-move workout tunes of this week:

First up, let's take it back to the 80's with Duran Duran's The Reflex and Human League's Don't You Want Me Baby! We all need to take it back every now and then...

And someting that's a little more recent than those first two... Surfer Blood's Swim:

Enjoy and get moving! Sound off in the comments below and share your favourite tune!

Want to break a bad habit, like that 3 o'clock cookie?

Here's an interesting video from Charles Duhigg. Learn the power of habits and how to break the bad ones!

So, according to Charles Duhigg, it's possible to break a bad habit with a little bit of analyzing and of course, will power. But maybe, once you've analyzed the what and the why of a bad habit, you won't need as much will power to quash it!

If it's snacking habit you are trying to break, don't worry; you aren't alone. One way I avoid snacking on cookies regularly is to replace my cookie with something healthier like fruits. Fruit will give me the satisfaction of munching and sweet flavours. Or I try to drink more water. My weakness is the ginger molasses cookie from Starbucks. To help me get over that habit, I try to avoid Starbucks or when I'm there, I get something sweet and spicy like chai tea!

Everyone has their different ways to deal with habits. Charles Duhigg has another way of dealing with bad habits. If it worked for him (he was able to lose weight 12 pounds by kicking one bad habit!), it could work for you and me!

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Jump your way to fitness with this Friday's Fitness Trend, Kangoo!

These shoes are going to bring you to whole new fitness heights, literally...

I'm back with another installment in the PGX Friday Fitness Trend series and I'm bouncing in with a funny, intriguing, maybe even absolutely hilarious but looks-like-so-much-fun fitness trend in the form of Kangoo! So what is Kangoo and how does one do it? Well, it's all about the shoes!

Kangoo Jumps are bouncy rebound shoes that will have you, quite literally jumping higher than ever without impacting your joints! Three scientific studies have shown that with their patented Impact Protection System, these bouncy boots have the ability to reduce impact on the knees by up to 80%! If you suffer from a sports injury or the effects of one in the past, these shoes might be something to consider.

"Their impact reduction also significantly enhances the healing process after sport injures or surgery, relieves pain, and provides the opportunity to exercise in a way that will also alleviate some of the symptoms of diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, etc." More information (a lot more) and the scientific papers from these studies are available on the Kangoo Jumps Health page.

Without reading through the details of the many benefits of Kangoo Jumps, I think it's safe to assume that these shoes will give your muscles a decent workout. If you wear them running, you'll get cardio exercise combined with the core muscle engagement required to keep you balanced on spring loaded shoes!

If you're close to any Kangoo classes why not give it a try? If anything, it does look like a lot of good, laugh out loud, silly fun. That sounds like the best way to work out! Read about New York Times writer, Daniel Krieger's experience with Kangoo and enjoy this hopping video of Kangoo featuring NYC trainer, Mario Godiva.

Image source: iuliamusat.blogspot.ca

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

It's the weekend and PGX wants to help you spice up your exercise routine!

Lately there have been several new fitness activities trending in the Health & Fitness blogs. These new activities have us intrigued and here at PGX we want to try a couple out this weekend. We've gathered a few of our favourites that we've discovered on the web and would love to share them with you. It's a great way to add some fun to your regular workout and you might even end up loving it and making it a regular occurrence!

Hot Trends To Try:

• Have you been inspired by the recent Tour de France? Find all the helpful basics here.
• Standup Paddling is the newest trend this year - a great workout for your core.
• Have you heard of Cross-Fit? It's an intense workout but with great results. Here is a Q&A all about it.

Your Fitness Goals:

• Triathlons appeared in the Olympics in 2000 and have become even more popular with beginner/intermediate fitness lovers over the past few years.
• If running is more your thing, there's an enormous amount of marathons, half marathons and runs offered. Check out how to pick the right race for you.
  

And after all that sweat and hard work, it's nice to cool off with a healthy treat!

Are you planning on trying a new activity or creating a major fitness goal this weekend? We would love to hear about! Let us know in the comments.

img source via: The Color Run