Exercise has magical power
4:40 AM | 
Posted by
DI Hip Hop
|
mystery muscles
Dearest All Y'all,
Our household is at defcon 3 today, getting ready for the first day of school tomorrow. And I must admit that the idea of blazing over to the gym tonight to just dance, dance, dance and dance some more is keeping me rolling.
Make sure to come out and get YOUR week off to a good start as well. Give your booty a two good shakes (well, maybe 200) and call me in the morning.
And here's some more motivational ammo in case you need it. This article covers a slew of reasons to keep dancing for a healthy life:
The Health Benefits of Dancing --
by www.SixWise.com
Dancing is an exceptional way to let loose and have fun and it also provides some terrific health benefits.
Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing helps to:
- Reduce stress
- Increase energy
- Improve strength
- Increase muscle tone and coordination
Dancing the night away can burn more calories per hour than riding a bike or swimming. |
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says that dancing can:
- Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
- Decrease blood pressure
- Help you manage your weight
- Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips
Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to engage in a social activity. This is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.
How Good of a Workout is Dancing, Really?
The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you're doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level.
Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, "Once someone gets to the point where they're getting their heart rate up, they're actually getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It's also "wonderful" for your upper body and strength."
Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even know you had.
See you Tonight!!!! I promise to help you find more of those mystery muscles.
xo
Angel
“80 percent of success is showing up.” - Woody Allen
How do you find motivation to exercise when you just don’t feel like getting off your butt? I ask myself this question a lot, and I have the feeling I’m not the only one.
Dearest Card-Carrying Hotties,
It occurred to me recently that I now experience the shortest bouts of the Monday dreads than at any other point in my life. Yeah they still come. But now they just last a moment. And why is that? Yes, the weekend is over and the to do list seems to grow before my eyes---but by 7:30 am, I know that a gift to myself is waiting for me at the gym if I can just get through the next twelve hours. And having successfully made it through over many twelve hour periods, confidence that I can do it again is relatively easy to find . And about that gift. What's going to be wrapped in that old hip hop box tonight?
The really beautiful thing about tonight's (and every Monday and Thursday's) "gift" is that you really are in charge of what you get. You just have to get yourself to class and then the sky is the limit.
Guests ALL weekend?
Just give yourself a real good loosen-up and have some fun.
Bon Bons and Tailgating for 2.5 straight days?
Perhaps you should really...REALLY push yourself tonight.
Scatterbrained for some reason today?
Take the time to ramp up your focus.
A little melancholy?
Well..you know every hip hop class is good for at least one belly laugh, right?
Need some encouragement?
Sister, we will be there for you.
Getting ready for that reunion?
We're burning back fat tonight!
Really really raring to go?
Heck..Why not----ALL THE ABOVE
Today you get to write your own ticket. Or just decide to show up and see what comes out in the wash. But you know you deserve it and you know it will be good.
Thinking about dancing with y'all gets me so fired up.
xo
Angel
PS
I will have great music and fabulous blingy shirts tonight...treat yourself!
Party at the fire station!
Healthy Snacks
Dear Hip Hop Hotties,
Ever hear the saying-"the days are long, but the years are short"? This summer has really reinforced that concept. So much is going on that one full day can feel like a week and yet I cannot fathom that it was this month three years ago that our family arrived here from Los Angeles. Thanks so much for making life here even more fulfilling than I had dared to hope for. The twice weekly element of fun, fitness and friendship that has evolved into Daniel Island Hip Hop has been a blessing of the highest order.
Well enough of that sentimental pish posh. We are getting DOWN tonight and so I wanted to quickly address a FAQ that keeps coming up regularly....And it is: "What should I eat after class?"
So here are some ideas for the old tremendously important post-workout snack.
I really like to follow the Zone. In it healthy proteins, carbs and fats are kept in proportion to fuel recovery and provide raw materials for muscle building. LOW FAT food is almost always crummy for you as many healthy fats are replaced by sugars and sugar is what makes us fat. Eating healthy (non-hydrogenated) fats WILL NOT make you fat unless you are also taking in way too much simple (starchy-sugary) carbs. And of course eating that stuff will make you put on LBs all by itself, anyway.
So a few ideas:
1-2 hard boiled egg
1 large spinach salad
1 tsp oil and vinegar dressing
1 handful peanuts
2 oz hummus
1 tomato diced
2 oz feta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup pineapple
sprinkle on small handful pecans
I cup frozen berries
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup water
1 Tbs spirulina
As mentioned before- fish oil capsules are a great way to bolster your stores of omega3 fatty acids.
We work way to hard too give it all away in a post workout pig out (every now and then we can splurge or just as bad-not eating at all!!!).
Hope that helps. Can't wait to see you all tonight, it's going to be such a good one.
Don't forget to reward yourself for all your hard work with a cute blinged out, super fab T-shirt!
Peace, Love & Hip Hop,
Angel