Tag Archives: exercise options

Friday Fitness Trend: Ugi Fit

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Today’s PGX Friday Fitness Trend is: Ugi Fitness!

Need to workout but don’t have time? This is the fitness trend for you…

Pronounced “you-gee,” Vancouver-based trainer, Sara Shears developed a workout formula that combines strength, cardio and core training into a sequence of 30 exercises. It’s a short, rigourous workout of different exercises performed in one minute intervals that, combined with balanced eating and your daily fiber, can produce amazing results.

A 30 minute workout with only one piece of equipment? Sign me up!

And that’s what Ugi Fit is: a 30 minute workout with only one piece of equipment and it’s making waves in the fitness communities.

So what is this essential piece of equipment? The Ugi ball. Sara Shears and her design partner, Melanie Finkelman, designed this squishy non-intimidating ball that you can stand on, kneel on, sit on, plank on, toss to a friend, or even use as a weight. It’s got the squish of a beanbag and the resistance and bounce-back of a stress ball all in one simple design.

One of the positive features of this fitness trend is that you aren’t limited to working out in a gym or in your living room. Only 15 inches in diameter, the Ugi ball is easy to store or to bring to an outdoor workout at the beach! Not only is the location of this workout flexible, the length and frequency is just as easy to adjust to your busy schedule. Got only 15 minutes? Cut down the intervals to 30 seconds each. Maybe you prefer a longer workout only hree times a week. You can turn your Ugi Fit workout into an hour by repeating your sequence of exercises.

Why Ugi? Because it’s time to be you. “Ugi. U got it. Show it off.” Visit the Ugi Fit website to learn more.

Remember everyone: eat healthy, get your fiber, stay fit and do it all for you.

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Friday Fitness Trend: Kangoo

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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.

 

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Train Like an Angel: Jet Set

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Get your model on and train like an angel!

Travelling and need a portable workout? The Victoria’s Secret Angels know all about that!

It’s a busy time of year with plenty of people travelling to be with family and friends. As much fun as that is, it can be disruptive to our regular fitness routines or even just our plans to get fit! That’s why I’m loving this full body workout from the Victoria’s Secret Angels and their trainer, Justin Gelband! Yes, it’s true. These models actually workout and eat well in order to have the strength to carry those wings and look healthy!

In their fitness series, Train Like an Angel, they dedicated one week to an easy-to-follow, no-gym-necessary, workout routine that will allow you to easily stay in shape, even if you are flying all over the place this season! Check out this jet setting workout below and stay fit. You’ll be able to freely enjoy this winter’s activities and tasty eats!

 

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Old Man Winter and Your Workout

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Avoid those winter workout blues!

It’s cold and it’s dark for more hours than it is light out, but don’t let winter mess with your workout!

How many times have you let winter convince you to skip your workout? I don’t know how many times I’ve convinced myself that it’s too cold to get moving, too rainy to drive to an exercise class or the gym, too early to get up and ski… Unfortunately, it has happened. But this winter, my major fitness goal is to overcome the laziness, ditch the excuses and get exercising!

Fitness Magazine has a great article that has all the answers to trump those winter excuses: Winter-proof Your Workout!

Don’t let Old Man Winter get you down. Jump up and exercise!

 

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Friday Fitness Fun for Fall!

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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!

 

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Workout Bloopers!

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It’s PGX’s Weight-wise Wednesday and we’ve got a quiz!

Take the quiz and spot the workout bloopers!

Quiz time! Don’t worry it’s not scary. Have you ever gone religiously to the gym, had what seemed like the perfect workout, and then got stuck on a weight loss plateau? You could be eating healthy food and exercising, but if you aren’t seeing the results that you hoped for, you might be committing some workout bloopers!

When I took the quiz, I discovered the mistakes I was making in the gym and now that I have an answer to my plateau troubles, I feel more motivated to change things up! Take Fitness Magazine’s Can You Spot Workout Bloopers? quiz and test your gym know-how!

Good luck and keep on moving!

 

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PGX & Red Carpet Fitness!

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Want the secrets to looking red carpet ready?

Learn how you can get that red carpet glam from the celebrity fitness experts!

So did you watch the Oscars last week and think: how on earth do these celebrities get in such good shape that they look fabulous in those figure-hugging gowns and those svelte, slim-fit suits?! You’ll be happy to hear that their red carpet glam is not out of your reach. With a little perseverance, positivity and a place to start, you and I can definitely get that red carpet celebrity look!

So where to begin? Check out what celerities trainers are saying!

Allure Magazine talked to Harley Pasternak (trainer to stars such a Natalie Portman, Megan Fox and Orlando Bloom) and revealed his slim-down secrets.

Want more red carpet tips? Fitness expert Rick Miller dished out his top 5 tips and recommended exercises to get into Oscar shape!

Remember to supplement any exercise plan with good nutrition and keep up with your daily fiber!

 

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PGX and Colour Psychology

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PGX Investigates Colour Psychology and Your Well Being

Can the colour of your home affect your efforts for healthy living?

You may be surprised to discover that the colours you surround yourself with may have an affect on your health and well being. Usually we pick the colours of our home based on personal preference, but now colour experts believe that hues of our homes can have an effect on our emotions.

So how does this relate to making healthy choices and keeping fit? Our emotions have a lot to do with the choices we make. If the colour of your kitchen or the gym walls can help you choose healthy snacks and run that extra mile, then why not give yourself that extra help?! Read on to get a taste of what colour can do for us!

Blue is a colour of calm, promoting physical and mental relaxation. What comes to mind when you think of blue? Blue skies and beach getaways? When you are stress free, your fitness efforts will always be more effective.

Yellow is a bright and cheerful hue that has often affected people in a positive way. It has been shown to help people with better decision-making and adopting a positive attitude. Positivity, however attained, goes a long way in helping us achieve our fitness and health goals. Like yellow, orange is considered to be one of those “happy” colours as well.

Red is a vibrant and stimulating hue associated with energy and activity. It can be a strong colour for your walls that is very well suited to spaces of movement like the stairwell, hallways or the exercise room! A splash of red might give you more of boost than you realize!

Green (my personal favourite) is the colour of nature, relaxation and wellness. Greens of various shades can be inspire calmness or in it’s lighter tones, create an atmosphere of lightness and joy! Whatever shade it is green can bring back a touch of nature and often has positive effect on your mood, which can mean the world of difference to your health.

Making healthy choices can be challenging at times. Positivity and inspiration can make or break a healthy lifestyle. You may not even notice how the colours around you affect your mood, but if yellow in a kitchen can inspire a rush of positivity or if that red exercise ball can get you pumped for your workout, why not surround yourself with mood-lifting colour?!

Want to know more about colour psychology? Visit Pittsburgh Paints’ Voice of Color.

 

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PGX Office Tip: Desk Exercises

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Stuck at desk all day? Here’s a simple desk exercise!

Relieve the tension in your legs with this easy desk exercise we’ve found for you!

Do you sit at your desk all day, staring at your computer, hunching and tense all over without even realizing it?  Work can be a really busy place that doesn’t always allow you the luxury of a midday stroll. We’ve done some internet sleuthing and found how you can loosen up stiff leg muscles without leaving your desk or disrupting your productivity!

Wellness Matters and BC Living have come together to share this easy exercise to relieve the tension in your legs.

It’s always best to get up from your desk, stretch and take a short walk around to keep your muscles limber, but when short on time, try this desk exercise!

 

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Matching Music to Movement

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PGX checks out the latest in exercise apps!

Match your music to your pace and never miss a beat while you exercise!

Looking for motivation and the right tunes to get you ready for your workout? There’s a new app available from iTunes that allows you to match the music to your heart beat.

Check out this video featuring how Cadence Run DJ matches the rhythms of your music to a corresponding beats per minute number (BPM).

Get your daily fiber and keep on moving everyone!

Cadence Run DJ is available on iTunes.

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