Fit Forever with Kathy!

Posts in the Abs category

1-Day Energy Makeover

by Kathy Smith

 

It’s officially the season of Sundance Film Festival here in Park City, UT! A few of my friends are in town, and we’re going non-stop from films to new restaurants to early morning workouts. And, with 7 more days to go of the festival, I need all the energy I can get! Which is exactly why I created this 1-day energy makeover. So if you are feeling exhausted before the day even begins, and want to feel refreshed and ready to take on your day, try these tips for one day to give you more mojo than a cup of joe ever could!

The Day Before You Begin Your 1-Day Energy Makeover –

Schedule tomorrow’s workouts for the times you most need them. Almost everyone feels more relaxed, alert, and alive after exercise. If you can figure out at what point in your day you most need to recharge your batteries, and make it a habit to work out then, you’ll find yourself looking forward to it.

6:00 am – Energize Your Words

Before you roll out of the sheets, say aloud the following energizing affirmation

Vitality is coursing through my body
like a river of well-being. I have
so much vital energy that it
spills over and enriches my environment.
I give from a place of unlimited abundance
whenever I allow love to flow through me.

6:30 am – Open The Curtains

The natural light will help trigger your body to wake up and get moving! If it’s still dark outside when you wake up, flip on the lights! Artificial lights also help in optimizing your wake-up process. I recommend using compact fluorescent bulbs labeled “daylight.” This type of light is most similar to natural, outdoor color temperatures.

7:00 am – Start Your Workout Slowly

Tie up your shoes, and start your workout slowly and gradually. Your top priority should be to get some kind of exercise routine going, no matter how small. A daily five or ten-minute walk is far better than a full gym workout you never do. Start with a small, easy routine you can be consistent with. Begin with this 5-min indoor walking video. 

8:00 am – Go For The Green (Tea)

Get ready to take on the day with this ENERGY-PACKED smoothie recipe! Thanks to the natural lift you get with green tea mixed with the smooth chocolate raspberry flavor, it’s the perfect combination to allow you to DRINK MORE, and WEIGH LESS!

11:00 am – Sitting Is The New Smoking

Doctors, research journals, even the World Health Organization agree: Sitting is the new smoking. A sedentary lifestyle may be to blame for a host of illnesses, from fatty liver disease to diabetes, even for people who work out regularly but spend too much time sitting. Sure, we live in a computer-based world, and we can’t always jump up from our desks for a quick jog. For adding activity to your day, it’s the little stuff that counts. Try these three no-sweat moves to do at a desk.

12:00 – Add An Avocado To Your Lunch

Today’s the day to let go of fat-phobia, and add some healthy fats, such as an avocado or a handful of almonds, to your lunch. If you’re not eating enough of these good-for-you fats, it will actually shortchange your body’s ability to create energy-producing hormones.

2:00 pm – Snack On An Apple

An apple a day keeps the doctor away…but it also jolts your energy! Because apples are high in fiber, they take longer for your body to digest, which increases the amount of time that your body feels lifted. For an even more effective pick-me-up, eat your apple with a slice of cheese.

3:00 – Make Time For Magnesium

Magnesium is the mineral that improves cell efficiency, which allows your body to conserve energy. And, many women don’t get the daily recommended dose of 400 mg a day. A typical multivitamin will only have about 100 mg. Here’s a fun fact: one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds has as much magnesium as a whole banana and it delivers healthy fats at the same time.

4:00 pm – Shop For Bones

This year’s hottest energy drink is sweeping the nation, but surprisingly, it doesn’t contain any caffeine or kale, and has been a staple in your grandmother’s kitchen for ages. Women everywhere are heating up their stoves for a serving of the newest trend…bone broth. Grab my homemade recipe here.

6:00 pm – Savor Salmon

Salmon reigns king when it comes to its omega-3 fatty acids, but it also is packed with vitamin B6 riboflavin and niacin, which help turn food into fuel. Try my Broiled Salmon Dijonnaise recipe. It’s delicious and easy-to-make, and won’t take more than 20 minutes to make, including cooking time. So, enjoy!

8:00 pm – Rejuvenate With Yoga

Yoga is more than just a form of exercise. It also releases stress and gives you greater peace of mind. Of course, improved flexibility, range of motion, coordination, posture, concentration and circulation are amazing benefits, too! Before you slip into the sheets, try this 90 relaxing yoga clip using a wall and a chair. 

Kathy Smith, New York Times bestselling author, has stood at the forefront of the fitness and health industries for over 30 years. The numbers speak for themselves: Kathy has sold more than 20 million exercise DVDs - landing her in the Video Hall of Fame - and $500 million in Kathy Smith products. With her revolutionary approach to fitness, Smith has touched millions of people, inspiring them to move, live, and love.

By Collage Video | | Abs, exercise, fitness, goals, Healthy, Kathy Smith, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

1 Missing Link to Flat, Firm, and Fabulous Abs

by Kathy Smith

There’s more to killer abs than just exercise and abdominal crunches. Turns out that there’s a direct relationship between a healthy digestive system and your overall look, too. Not only does what you eat affect whether or not you pack on pounds, but what you eat can also impact how your digestive system works, how it processes and eliminates waste effectively, as well as how it helps support the surrounding muscles and tissue.Don’t you love when you notice the results from working out and eating healthier? You catch a glimpse of new definition in your arms and your legs and all the effort is worth it. But if you’re still noticing some tummy jiggle, you’re not alone. And one potential solution might surprise you.

Abs and an Upset Stomach

Gas, cramps, bloating, general aches and pains, and even a distended abdomen are common complaints. What’s happening inside your body is gut inflammation from food allergies and food intolerance.

Here’s that potential solution I mentioned: The greater the level of inflammation in your digestive system, the greater the likelihood that your abdominal muscles will not respond to exercise.

Why?

Well, when you’ve got a stomach that’s inflamed, giving you pain, that inflammation can affect the abdominal muscles that are supposed to be stabilizing your core. In other words, those pain impulses that come from your digestive system can result in weakness and more pain in those regions of the abdominal wall. And when those muscles become weak or disabled due to your (sick) digestive system, they aren’t much help to you and they won’t respond very well to your attempts to work them.

Just about any problem you might have in your digestive tract is called a “digestive disorder” – indigestion, heartburn, or simply an upset stomach. Highly processed, poor-quality foods and fast food don’t make the situation any better.

A Diet That Agrees With Your Core

You know you have to make good choices when it comes to food, beverage, and getting proper exercise. It can be a challenge to eat well and exercise for purposes of losing or maintaining your ideal weight. But I bet you’ve never thought about how your digestive system can change the way your core responds to exercise.

The goal is to get the internal workings of your core to be in harmony with the rest of your body so when you perform a core workout, and work those abs, you see the rewards in a tighter, flatter belly. And you can accomplish that with some slight changes to your diet.

The Cleveland Clinic offers the following suggestions:

• Eat at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

• Choose whole grains whenever possible.

• Limit consumption of higher fat meats like beef, pork, lamb, and processed meats.

• Cook by steaming, poaching, stewing, braising and boiling more often. Avoid fried foods.

• Spicy foods, alcohol, soft drinks (including zero-calorie soft drinks), corn and dairy products are the foods that the majority of people have problems with. Review your intake of these items and completely eliminate them to determine if they could be causing digestion problems.

• Drink lots of water! Dehydration leads to a host of problems. Being fully loaded with water will also allow you to get the most of your workout.

And of course, don’t forget to keep up with your exercise and abdominal work routine. The road to a flat belly entails a combination of efforts. You’ll not only look better, but you’ll feel better, too!

Try this 5-minute crunch-free ab routine from my Flat Abs over 40 Program as a way to maintain your workout routine while you take a closer look at your digestive health:

Purchase Kathy Smith's Total Body Turnaround complete workout (clip above) HERE.

Kathy

By Collage Video | | Abs, exercise, fitness, goals, Kathy Smith, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Walk Off Belly Fat Before Breakfast

by Kathy Smith

Supercharge your step and take your ab routine to the next level

walking-animation

How would you like to get rid of belly fat and kick crunches to the curb? For a workout that really trims your midsection, it’s time to get walking. Studies show walking is one of the best ways to banish the belly bulge, in less time than you think. There are four decades of studies on exercise and belly fat that show just 2 1/2 hours of brisk walking a week–only about 20 minutes a day–can shrink your belly by about 1 inch in 4 weeks!

Who doesn’t have time for those kind of results? 

That’s exactly why today I’ll show you how to supercharge your steps with a MUST-WATCH 3-minute waist-whittling walking video.

Although walking is the foundation of this workout, it also includes simple but powerful standing ab moves that will help you blast away belly fat and walk off the pounds. And don’t forget…no more crunches! By incorporating these easy moves into your walking routine, you’ll see an overall tighter core that will also improve balance and coordination.

I’ve seen thousands of women and men use this walking ab routine and melt inches off their waists! Mary uses my walking workouts almost daily, and can hardly describe her incredible transformation. Not only has she supercharged her metabolism, she’s also seeing definition in her midsection where she used to have what she describes as, “nothing but softness before.” Today’s clip gives you a taste of the incredible walking workouts that have helped so many people tone, tighten and fire up their metabolism!

Plus, if you want a workout that’s gentle on your joints, then today’s video is definitely for you. Louise says,“This walking workout is my absolute favorite, because it’s not too hard on my back or knees, but it’s still interesting and fun.”

Purchase Kathy Smith's Power Walk for Weight Loss complete workout (clip above) HERE. 

Kathy

By Collage Video | | Abs, exercise, fitness, goals, Kathy Smith, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Flatten Your Tummy in 5 Mins a Day

by Kathy Smith

Crunches, crunches, crunches!

What if everything you’ve ever learned about toning your tummy is wrong? 

Studies are continuing to show that the secret  to strengthening your core and tightening your tummy is about doing the right exercises…not spending doing traditional crunches.

In today’s blog, I've developed a science-based ab routine to help you create the abs you want in only 5 minutes a day! I’ll show you the exact exercises to lose fat and inches around your waistline, tone up your abs, and increase your confidence!

Here’s how to do it: Repeat each move for 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

 

cannonball

Cannonball

What it does:

  • This move is sometimes called the ˙banana,” because of the slightly-curved line your body forms at the start of the exercise. But no matter what you call it, this full-body core-strengthener is a surefire way to fire up the entire abdominal wall.

How to do it:

  • Start lying on your back, with your arms reaching out overhead, legs lifted slightly off the floor, and toes pointed. Even here, at the start of the move, you’re activating core muscles by stretching them out. Keep pressing the lower back into the mat or floor to ensure the back doesn’t arch. If this feels like too much tension on the back, try lifting the legs a little further away from the floor.
  • Imagine that, as you’re stretching the fingers and toes away from each other, the core is a strong magnet working to pull them back in. Using the force of that imaginary magnet, bring the knees in toward the chest. At the same time, reach your arms toward the legs.

Beginners:

  • Start by doing this move just one leg at a time. Resting your left leg on the floor, perform the move as described above using only the right leg. Do 10 repetitions and repeat on the left side.

Advanced:

  • At the top of the move, when you’re in ˙cannonball” position, wrap your arms around the shins. The objective is to find your balance point. To do that, you need to strongly engage your core muscles when you hit the top of the movement. Coordinating the arms and legs to hit that balance point is the challenge. 

 Ceiling Stap

ceiling-stamp

Here’s how to do it:

  • Lying on your back, squeeze your abdominals and lift your legs off the floor. Extend them up straight, feet facing the ceiling.
  • With your hands on the floor for balance, use your lower abdominal strength to push your feet up 1-2 inches toward the ceiling (meaning your hips come 1-2 inches further away from the floor simultaneously). It’s a quick movement, almost a ˙pulse,” as if you’re stamping the ceiling with the bottom of your feet (hence the title).

Forearm Plank With Swivel

Forearm-Plank-With-Swivel

  1. Start in plank position, but this time, rest on your elbows instead of your hands. Be sure to keep the shoulders depressed back and down and the neck nice and long throughout the movement.
  2. Keeping your abs engaged, slowly swivel the hips underneath you to the right. Feel your obliques driving this motion as you swivel to the other side with a slow, controlled motion.

Kathy

 

4 Moves For A Total-Body Workout In Less Than 15 Minutes

by Kathy Smith

For flat abs, try:

crunch-on-ball

 

For strong arms, try:

tricep-extension

 

For a toned butt, try:

weighted-bridge

 

For increased flexibility, try:

 

 

 

downdog

Kathy

 

By Collage Video | | Abs, exercise, fitness, goals, Kathy Smith, practice, tips, Weekly Blog, wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Stay in Touch

Information

210 W. Parkway, Suite 7, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444 ● © Collage Video ● Exercise Video Specialists ● Fitness Videos and Workout Videos ● 1-800-819-7111 / 201-464-4921 ● CustomerCare@CollageVideo.com

From Our Blog

  • Collage welcomes instructors Brook Benten & Aimee Nicotera to the shop!

    Exciting news! We're welcoming two highly qualified instructors that will help you crush your fitness goals, shake up your routine, and offer a new source of motivation!   Brook Benten, B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science from Texas State University. Masters of... read more

  • Two More Happy Yoga DVDs Coming to Collage Video

    Happy Yoga from Sarah Starr is designed to bring you the beauty of Mother Nature as you receive yoga's rejuvenating benefits, including flexibility, toning, clarity and balance. Want to learn more about Sarah? Visit her instructor profile here. These titles... read more

  • What is Callanetics? Is it for me?

    Some people swear by it. Some people have never heard of it. It’s Callanetics. Callanetics became a revolutionary method of exercise and gained international recognition for its speedy body-shaping results. Some of the noise behind Callanetics may have softened over... read more