"Blame it on the Rain!"

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So it’s a brand new year and you wake up with a smile on your face. There’s a definite spring in your step as you bounce out of bed and you know you got it. This time your new years weight loss resolution (2010 is my year to slink into those sexy skinny blue jeans!) is going to work and there’s nothing, nothing that can stop you from making it real.


Nothing that is, but the weather. Tip tip tip. Drip drip drip. Cold, grey, cloudy, and windy. No, unfortunately I am not describing the background to a scary ghost story about a haunted house on a hill. I am talking about the reality of life right outside your front door. Make that dripping from your ceiling.

Too bad. Too sad. Guess the gym is going to have to wait for another day and you can put those sneakers back in the closet right? Wrong.

It’s time to take control people. So what if it looks like doomsday outside your window? Who says you can’t do something super-energetic and calorie-burning right there in your living room? I am here to tell you that you don’t have to be a slave to the gym or be disheartened because the weather isn’t on your side today. When you want to work off all that guilt from your holiday eating, you just have to work out. And honey, when you can’t get to the gym, you just got to make that gym come to you.

Here are 4 fabulous ways to keep your fitness resolutions this year!

Push ups: you can choose between girly style (on your knees lifting your torso weight only) or good old military style (on your toes lifting your entire body weight evenly). Either way, you are going to get your heart pumping and your body screaming --- in a good way! Do two sets of 10.

Squats: Get your posture right by practicing with a trainer or someone experienced with the exercise the first few times. Once you have your positioning right you can try and go for 4 sets of 15 each of these free squats. Amongst one of the most efficient movements for a full body workout, these killers work all the way up from your calves and hamstrings right to your abdominal core. Burn baby burn.

Jumping Jacks: Get back to the old days of PT in school! Boosting the blood pumped to the heart this works as a great cardiovascular workout when you don’t have access to a treadmill. Also, it can actually be a lot of fun. Think 2 to 3 sets of 20 reps each depending on how much you want to push it.

Spot Jogging: Cant get to the park? Rain upto your knees keeping you from your beloved treadmill in the gym. Use your very own bedroom floor instead. Just crank up some Tiesto on your ipod dock and start running. While you stay in the same spot. Keep jogging till your tune is done. Then lie down, relax and breathe.

Most importantly, always, always, enjoy your work out!

"How to Get into those Skinny Jeans!"

 everydaystyle.com

Every one of us has a pair. The ones that fit like a dream. The ones that make your butt look like it could give J-Lo a run for her money. The ones that you literally sweat and toil to get into for those super-sexy parties. The ones that you would never, ever want to break up with. Your favorite pair of jeans. 

Skinny. Boot-legged. Flare. Slim fit. Straight. They could be any style, but they are the one pair that makes you feel like a sexy chica worth about a gazillion bucks.

So it’s understandable that when there comes a day (and yes, ladies, that day will come) when those jeans just don’t seem to button up, you have a literal, actual, honest-to-god panic attack.

But don’t dial 911 just yet.  You call it panic. I call it opportunity.  Let those perfect, hip-hugging jeans be your motivation to do what it takes to get back into them and work it!

And all it takes are a couple of simple strategies. 

First and foremost, you need to recognize that nothing worth anything in life comes easy. It takes sweat. Leg-lifts, crunches, squats, and plank pose are all about to become your best friends. Trust me, a regular routine (say 3 to 5 times a week) of repetitions of these and other exercises that focus on toning the abdominal area and you are golden. Start this routine about two weeks prior to D-Day (also known as the party of the year) and you have a very high chance of slipping into those skinnies like you were born for it.

Second and also important, but not to be taken to extreme levels ladies, is your diet. You literally are what you eat and if you want to get those abs to look fat and fantastic in your jeans, you need to watch what you are putting into your mouths. Good guys: salads, vegetables of all kinds, chicken, fish, brown bread, whole wheat pasta, pulses, eggs, milk, fresh juices, fruits. Bad guys: deep-fried samosas, pakoras, cheese pizza, sugary desserts, colas, alcohol.

Last, but certainly not least, is the biggest secret: it’s the power of your mind. You have to really, truly, 100% believe that you are going to reach your goal (i.e. rock the house in those gorgeous denims) and then, and only then will you be able to works towards guaranteed success. It’s all about making your dreams a reality, bringing what you want into existence, in short going for the gold with no room for doubt!  Enjoy those jeans ladies...