Hi beauties! This installment of my 3 Moves series is all about the abdomen. There are so many different exercises you can do for fab abs, with the classic sit-up and crunch being the most popular. But did you know there are tons of other moves you can do for great results too? Here are three that are totally crunch-free:

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1. The Cross-Knee Strike

Stand in the “on guard” position with your knees slightly bent, elbows in towards your body and hands in fists up by your face. With your weight on your right leg, lift your left knee towards your right shoulder and twist your right elbow towards it. Exhale as you do this step. Then, inhaling, lower your foot back to the floor while keeping your weight on your right leg. Repeat this move 20 times with the left leg and then do the same with the right.

2. Plank with Side Leg Touch

Start in the basic plank position (body lifted off the mat and weight distributed between toes and forearms/hands) with your abs pulled toward your spine and your back un-arched. Lift your right leg out the rights side and touch the floor with your toe. Bring the right leg back to center and do the same with your left leg. This is one rep. Challenge yourself to do 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps with a minute or so of rest between the sets.

3. Hip Lifts

Lie on a mat on your left side with your left elbow under your left shoulder. Keeping your head and neck lifted, lift your left hip off the floor and support your weight with your foot and elbow. Hold this position for a count of three then lower to start position. Repeat for 30 seconds. Then flip over and do the same on your right side.

Make sure to maintain a healthy diet in order for those rockin’ abs to show! What are your favorite exercises to work the abdomen? Share in the comments below and good luck with these moves!

P.S. Photos and moves are from here, here and here.

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Hi guys! Have you been doing your 3 Moves exercises throughout the week? Today I’m going to show you guys a few different exercises that will get your buns in tip top shape! This is actually a series of bum exercises from my friends over at Tone It Up! I love all of these moves and the best part is that they are fun to do too:


Give these exercises a try and let me know how you do!

What are your fitness goals for 2012?

Photo is from here.

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I hope you guys are enjoying my 3 Moves series! Today I’m going to show you three new exercises to do this week to tone your arms.

The first move is a bench dip. Start off by doing two sets of 20 reps. It really works your triceps, and if done correctly you will feel the burn! If you don’t have a bench, you can do this using a chair too! Here’s how to do it properly:

The second move is a reverse dumbbell curl, which targets your biceps. Click here to learn how to do it if you don’t know how. You will need a 5 lb weight for this one. Feel free to go up and down in weight if 5 lbs is too light or too heavy for you. Do three sets of 20 reps.

The last move is the power curl. To do this move, stand with your feet a little wider than hip width apart and curl your arms under as exemplified in the photo below. Try to do 3 sets of 10 reps.

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Remember, do these moves at least three times this week along with your leg workout. I’ve been doing it and I’m already sore!

How is everyone doing with these exercises? Are you still liking these posts?

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Tag: This or That?

Hi guys! I hope you’re excited about my first official 3 Moves post! Today I am going to show you guys three super simple exercises you can do at home this week to tone your legs.

The first three moves come to you from my friends at Tone It Up! Check out this great video:

To really amp up your leg workout, try doing jumping jacks for two minutes straighten between each set of leg exercises.

Do this set three times this week and let me know how you do.

If you like these posts, let me know if the comments below!

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Hey guys! You know how sometimes you wake up with a major sweet tooth but you don’t want to start off your day by eating a bunch of sugar? Well, I’ve got just the recipe for you. It’s a little delicious something the editor of Healthy Bitch Daily, Armie Valpone, shared with me called Almond Coconut Crepes. These crepes are not only gluten-free and vegan, they are packed with potassium and fiber too. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 4 large bananas
• 1 medium coconut
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/6 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. almond extract

Directions:

1. In a blender or Vitamix, combine bananas and coconut meat.  Blend; add coconut water until mixture is creamy. Add remaining ingredients; continue to blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to dehydrator Teflex Sheets.
2. Dehydrate until dry, then flip to ensure even drying.
3. Remove from dehydrator, transfer to serving dishes. Place fresh fruit and raw nut butter into the center of each crepe; roll up and enjoy.

What’s your favorite sweet but healthy breakfast recipe?

Photo is from here.

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Holiday bloat can leave you feeling run down and just plain lazy, which can really put a damper on the start to a new year. Needless to say, I’m going to help you guys stick to your New Years resolutions to get healthy and fit with my new 3 Moves series for January! Each week I’ll show you guys three easy, at-home exercises you can do throughout the week to improve target area such as your legs, arms, abs and even your bum!

What do you think?

Health is about being fit and keeping your muscles toned and strong. When your body is in tiptop shape your immunity will be better able to fight off all those nasty winter colds and you’ll feel so much better too! Plus, working out releases endorphins, which make you happy! So let’s get fit and healthy together!

Are you excited for 3 Moves?

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Believe it or not, there are some seriously amazing health benefits associated with eating raw fruits for breakfast. I heard about eating only fruits for breakfast in a book I read recently and wanted to do a little more research on the topic so I checked around websites such as Fruits & Veggies More Matters, Live Strong, Mayo Clinic and CDC for more information… Here’s what I learned:

1. Eating raw fruit for breakfast is a great way to ensure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need to kick start your day, which will give you way more energy too!
2. Raw fruits are super easy for your body to digest, so eating them in the morning when you’re just waking up (and your metabolism is too) makes it the best time to feast on a plate of fruit.
3. Many fruits are packed with lots of fiber, which will help you feel full and satisfied until lunchtime.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a healthy and balanced breakfast should include raw fruits (or vegetables), a low fat protein, some dairy and a serving of whole grains. I think a lot of us forget about the raw fruit part even though it’s clearly super important to starting your day off on the right foot.

Here’s a few ways you can work more raw fruits into your breakfasts:

• Make a protein smoothie and throw in your favorite fruits to make it sweet!
• Add berries and bananas to your oatmeal along with some milk for an added kick of calcium.
• Have a fruity parfait! I love to make these as they’re kinda sweet and really filling too. Add your favorite fruits along with a little granola (or your favorite cereal works too) to a cup of low fat yogurt. I sometimes drizzle honey over the top if I want something a little sweeter too.
• Cook up a breakfast burrito by scrambling some eggs with cheese and wrapping it up in a whole wheat tortilla and have a side of freshly cut up fruit or an apple! Click here to check out my blog about why “an apple a day” really does help keep the doctor away!
• Slice up some banana and throw a few berries over your favorite whole grain cereal.
• One of my favorite options is to slice up an apple and a banana and have it with a side of Peanut Butter. You can even drizzle some honey over the banana for a super delicious breakfast.

How are you going to work more raw fruits into your daily breakfast routine?

Photo is from here.

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We’ve probably heard it a million times over: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. I’ve heard this phrase ever since I was a little girl. Lately, I’ve actually been practicing it because I’ve been having an apple every morning. Actually, Blair and I each eat a half of an apple every morning. It’s become my little routine. My recent apple consumption got me thinking… Is the saying really true? Why are apples so good for you? I decided to investigate this little saying for today’s Glit Fit and I found some interesting info that’s sure to surprise you just as much as it surprised me!

According to the Oxford Journals, the phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” dates all the way back to the 19th century and it was in fact referring to all the health benefits associated with the fruit. Based on various studies (including this one from Stanford Medicine), apples may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and even heart disease. Even though apples aren’t jam packed with vitamin C, they do have lots of super healthy properties, as they are full of fiber, which keeps you full and is especially good for you digestive health. Apples are also full of antioxidants that are really good for you too! No wonder they say apples keep the doctor away

Let’s all try to eat an apple a day!

If you don’t like eating apples plain try slicing them up and slathering a little peanut butter on them. Another idea is to cut up your apple and eat it each piece with a slice of cheese—I know it sounds weird, but it’s SO good (especially with cheddar cheese). Or if you tend to like sweeter things, drizzle a little honey or agave over your apple slices.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy an apple?

P.S. If you don’t like apples, oranges are also great because they have a ton of vitamin C and you can get your fiber elsewhere like oatmeal and bran muffins.

Photo is from here.

Happy afternoon, beauties! Today's video is another fun, fall themed video. I love this time of year so much and I think that mood is coming across in my videos! I have been a big tea drinker for a few years now, and lately my love for it has grown. I drink a cup or two of hot tea every single day now, and I wanted to do a quick video talking about some of my favorites! Plus, tea is really good for you... so drink up!

What are your favorite teas? I would love to pick up and try some of your favorites! Or, if you don't like tea, what are your favorite hot drinks to drink?

Hi lovelies! So I keep hearing all of this talk around town about Zumba and I just had to see what all the fuss was about! Have you guys heard of it? 

Apparently Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program that was created in the 90s by a Columbian dancer and choreographer named Alberto “Beto” Perez. It’s really high energy and eclectic as it incorporates a bunch of different dance styles including samba, salsa, hip hop, mambo, merengue, martial arts and belly dance! Sounds fun!

I looked around on YouTube and I came across the video below, which made me really want to try it.

Look at how much fun those girls are having on the beach; it looks like something I would have done with my sorority sisters! Plus, they play good music and it looks like something that’s open to all levels of experience!

I mean, look at this girl in the pink fuzzy slippers do it (see video below):

Love it!

So do you Zumba? Should I??

Photo is from here.

I cannot stress how important vegetables are to a healthy lifestyle. When I was in a nutrition class in college, they said the more colorful your plate, the better! Bright foods reflect on your outside, making your skin, hair, nails and eyes look vibrant and healthy. Vegetables are jam packed with nutrients such as essential minerals, vitamins, and also fiber. If you can add more vegetables into your diet, you will definitely see an overall improvement in your health! The best way to do it is by sneaking veggies into your favorite foods at every meal throughout the day. Adding veggies to your breakfast can be as easy as adding a handful of spinach to an omelet. For lunch and dinner, pile vegetables onto a sandwich or salad. But for dessert… what can you do?

How about ElleandBlair.com member, Hollie Fielding’s Healthy Chocolate Cake? Yes, you read that correctly—healthy chocolate cake! Hollie sent me the recipe a few weeks ago and I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys today! I haven't tried it yet, so you’ll have to tell me how it turns out if you decide to make it

Here’s the message I got from Hollie along with her recipe:

I just wanted to tell you about my healthy chocolate cake recipe that doesn't require any water or oil but instead uses only the natural juices from fruit and vegetables. But the best part is you cannot see or taste the vegetables + it's really simple!

This is what you need to do:

1. Buy a cake mix, I strongly recommend getting the Betty Crocker Devils Food cake mix as this works best and tastes the best too (in my opinion) This mix requires oil and water, but with this recipe you don’t need either!!
2. Pour the contents into a big mixing bowl and grate a whole apple without the core (you defiantly want to use an apple because they give the most juice which supplements for the oil and water), half a carrot, and half a cucumber. Make sure you grate them! You can add any other vegetables you like but this is what I use.
3. If using the Betty Crocker Devils food cake mix, add three eggs
4. Mix really well
5. Follow the rest of the instructions on the cake mix box on what size tin, the temperature of the oven and how long you leave you cake in for.

Again the best part is that you can't taste or see them (I don’t even like cucumber!) so you can serve them to family and friends and then tell them what it has in it!
Please let me know what you think if you try this, :)

This is such a great idea if you’re not really a big veggie eater and it’s an easy way to make an otherwise unhealthy snack a little bit better for you! Thanks for sharing your recipe Hollie!

Try out Hollie’s recipe and tell me what you think in the comments below!

Also, the cute asparagus cake photo is from here.