work that butt!

everyone I talk to wants a cute, high, round,

'pokey out' tush...

 ...try this workout to get it.

*Squeeze those glutes with every rep*

warm up 10 min- cardio your choice

sumo squats - 18 reps with weight, work up to 35lb

butt to ankle squats - arms extended out front - 20 reps

kneeling donkey kicks (on hands and knees)

-kick out behind you, and then up to the ceiling, 20 reps each, alternate legs.

hip raises - weighted, work up to10 lb each hand on hips. Lay on back, keep shoulders on floor, weights on hips. Lift up and squeeze glutes, 10 reps, then lift and do 20 little pulses, do 10 more full up and down raises. Lift and sway side to side for 10 then finish with 10 full raises.

glute curls - lay on your stomach, chin on hands. Hold rolled towel behind knee and bend knee to hold it in place. Extend one leg out flat on floor. Curl leg holding towel in place, in toward your butt, raising hip off the floor, squeeze each rep. 15 reps, move towel to opposite leg and repeat.

Repeat entire sequence 3 times

...finish with 30 min cardio your choice...

getting heart rate to 55-85% of max heart rate.

calculation for finding your Target Heart Rate or THR

220-(your age)-resting heart rate x .70 + resting heart rate = THR (beats/min)

Best health! Ruthann



HEALTHY CARBS

for

OCTOBER!

Healthy carbs are essential to our diet. They provide esential energy, minerals and vitamins for our body.

However, making the best choices of all the foods available

to us can be tricky...always choose the most natural form of carbs available.

• Start with staying away from processed white flour, rice, bagels, highly processed foods, like baked goods, chips, crackers. These convert to glucose quickly and cause unhealthy spikes and crashes in our blood sugar levels.
• boxed pasta meals, frozen meals, packaged desserts and other convenience type foods.
• refined sugars in soda, sweet teas, juices
• boxed sweet cereals
•  candy
•  high fructose corn syrup, white & brown sugar. When reading labels, look for anything that ends in 'ose'

SWAP FOR!

• 100% whole wheat or stone ground in bread and flour 
•  beans and legumes
• whole fruits
• fresh vegetables
• brown rice, quinoa and other healthy grains
• oats

*Some packaged cereals say they have whole grains but with all the chemical additives, and the processing, it isn't the best choice.

Grains and oats are always better.

Best Health, Ruthann



Sugar Strike drawing to a close....

\

September Sugar Strike update!

Sunday is the last day of the sugar strike,

&

what have I learned?

I learned that I can go a month making better choices. I read alot about the unhealthy side effects of sugar consumption...that sugar creates in imflammed state in your body, similar to stress...and wreaks havoc on body systems.

I discovered that cooking with healthier sweeteners like honey, Sucanat and molasses do make fantastic tasting desserts, like Spiced Harvest Bars!

1 1/2 cups Sucanat
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp ginger & nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin 

1 eggs + 1 egg white

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, spread in a sprayed pan, 9x13 and bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

I also found that as a consumer, I made better choices when buying packaged foods, opting for brands like Kashi, that use honey in cereals, and granola bars...and avoiding hidden artificial sweeteners.

I also learned to identify between hunger and boredom. I tried to figure out when I was munchy only eating when I was actually hungry, drinking a glass of water first. I also realized that eating sugar makes you WANT sugar...and after a few days that craving took an extreme nose dive... I found I didn't think about treats very often, a piece of fresh fruit did the trick!

BUT!...even healthy sugars have calories, so watch your portion sizes...

• With the holidays approaching, I will definately be changing up favorite recipes using natural sweeteners:
• honey
• molasses
• Sucanat
• dried fruit
• stevia
• maple syrup

and...healthier substitutes for ex.; vanilla & apple sauce for oils & sugar, plain or greek yogurt for creams and buttermilk, and of course my favorite,

75%+ dark chocolate...mmmmm

best health, Ruthann

Super fun, spooky, Fall run for the whole family!

Grab a costume and sign up here.

...beware of zombies....



I'm sore, so I'm done. SORE IS GOOD!

OUCH!!!!

We've all been there...right?

You start going to the gym after weeks or years of inactivity or you just feel the need to prove to yourself, maybe others around you, that you can and will lift, press or squat any and all weights to total failure today...

...the next day, you are so sore, you are limping around, and using one arm to help you brush your teeth...

BEEN THERE!

DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness, is perfectly normal 24-48 hours after your workout, when you are starting an exercise routine. You have stressed your muscles harder than they are used to and as a result they feel sore.

Don't stop exercising!

This soreness is normal. Microscopic tears in the muscle fiber and slight inflammation causes the minor pain. These symptoms are signs that you are leading the muscle to adapt and to better perform the exercises next time.

 However, only YOU, would know the difference between the pain of injury and the mild soreness of exercise that no one is immune too. Sore, tight, achy muscles the next day or 2 days after a workout, is normal.

NOT NORMAL is the sudden onset of sharp, severe pain, sudden weakening in a specific muscle or joint, tingling, electric type shock or numbness, or the obvious pain of trauma from a broken bone. If you experience any of these symptoms, immediately seek medical attention.

Here are some tips to ease those aching muscles:

• stretch - 10 min before and after your workout
• anti-inflammatory meds
• ice and heat
• protein - taken 15-30 min after a workout. Believe it or not, chocolate milk has been recently sighted as one of the best recovery beverages after a hard workout. YUMMERS!

"With double the carbs and protein of milk, water or sports drink, it is perfect for replenishing tired muscles. It's water content rehydrates, and calcium, sodium and sugar help the athlete retain energy," says Dr. Joel Stager, Director of the Human Performance Lab at the University of Indiana, in a recent article he wrote for the International Journal of Sports Nutrition.

So grab your shoes, a bottle of chocolate milk and GET YOUR SWEAT ON!

Best Health, Ruthann



Gorgeous alternatives to soda!

 

 

 

This is my sweetheart. We have been married 22 years!

14 days ago, he made the healthy decision to give up soda.

I am so proud of him.

He has a super stressful job, as an Electrical engineer. He will leave the office and go grab a big gulp, to take a break...get some caffeine! This was becoming a couple times a day.

The office also has a fridge with soda, and he said he would grab a couple cans from that each day too. Added up, he was drinking on average over 60oz a day....wow.

 

 

SODA!

 

if you need some reasons to dump it, here are just a few...

 

According the Journal of American Medicine, beverage consumption made up 21% of the total daily calories consumed for people over age 2.

 

DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES!

• chemicals and minerals in soda cause stress on kidneys and could lead to formation of kidney stones, and kidney disease 
• leaches minerals from teeth & bone, leading to osteoporosis, but also phosphoric acid from carbonation weakens and damages tooth enamel over time
• artificial sweeteners give you cravings for sweets, which can lead to eating more calories and weight gain