With the long weekend coming and summer finally approaching, I thought what is more perfect than to focus today’s blog post on getting your tummy toned. I know all of us are thinking about digging out the summer gear and bathing suits so here is your chance to add a new sweet ab move to the mix to keep your results coming along and get your abs working hard.

ABS: THE 3 POINT CRUNCH

This move is a fav of mine because it works your upper, lower and transverse abs. Your transverse abs work like a hug around your middle (who doesn’t like hugs?) squeezing everything from your spine to your belly button in tight! Super important for a strong core and lower…and oh bonus, these transverse abs will be the ones that help you hold it all together in the middle
Also, I have a quick update for y’all – Friday blog posts will now be all about Fitness with us adding some sweet moves each week to help you focus and build on your library of exercises you love. So check back weekly for Fitness Friday to get your sweat on chick style.

Not to worry though for all of you peeps who follow my posts I will now be blogging on Monday’s as our “Motivation Station Monday’s” so be sure to check each week for some motivational cues and tips to keep you on track to living la Vida FIT CHICK!

Have an amazing long weekend chicks!
Amanda xo

Happy Wednesday!  I have been so pumped lately that the weather is getting warmer in Toronto and we are on countdown to our outdoor bootcamps on June 4th(I have been itching to hit the hills..sorry chicks;).

But while the outdoors will give us alot of awesome new elements to spice up your workouts, there is one exercise that is a staple of bootcamp (and all exercise routines) that can not abandoned not matter where we head…THE BEAUTIFUL BURPEE! Now I know you probably just cringed a little but the burpee is my most loved exercise for the following reasons:

TOP 5 REASONS WHY HEAD CHICK LAURA LOVES BURPEES

1. It is a total body exercise (ie works tons of muscles so you get more calorie burn and toning in this exercise)

2. It is a strength training move AND an aerobic / cardio exercise (more bang for your buck!)

3.  You can do it anywhere! Indoors, outdoors, hotel rooms, in your office, at the bus stop (Well maybe that is a little overzealous:)…just find some space and you can get a killer workout

4. There are so many variations! Basic burpees, Knee up Burpees, sleeping Chick Burpees – there are so many and I am going to be introducing some of my faves to you over the next while

5. They are ALWAYS challenging. Whether you are fitness virgin or a seasoned vet, burpees are always challenging as long as you make sure you are pushing yourself to your 9 out of 10 and continue to change them as you get stronger.

So now more writing…let me show you 3 of my fave burpees in action for you to try at home!

BOOTCAMP BASIC BURPEE

KNEE UP BURPEES

SLEEPING CHICK BURPEE

Now this is just a little taste test of all the sweet burpees I love (and more coming soon!)…try them and let me know what you think!

Have a fab day,
Laura, Your Head Chick

This weekend I want to celebrate all those Mama Chicks out there by sending a HUGE thank you to all Mama’s far and wide for being so awesome, loving and caring!

Mama Quinn - how cute is she?!

I am super grateful myself as I have an amazing Mother who has always stood beside me and told me to follow my dreams and do what I love. She has and always will be a major inspiration for me with the strength she has shown in her life to the way she approaches each day with a smile and total loving kindness for all.

So Mom, THANK YOU so much for being the woman that you are and for showing me the person I strive to be everyday – I love you

Also THANK YOU to the lovely Mama Jackson – Laura’s mama for always being like a second mom to me xo

This year I also have another thing to be super grateful for, my younger sister (who I used to refer to as Little One but I now refer to as Little Mama) is 6 months pregnant with my first Nephew! They have decided his in belly name is Cobra LOL but have yet to decide his real name. Jess, I know you will be an amazing mother and I can’t wait to meet this little guy in August.

My Sis - Little Mama with her 6 month belly named Cobra

So Happy Mother’s Day to you Mom and Little Mama and to all the Mama’s, Grandmother’s Mom’s to be, mama’s of furry babies and all you fabulous ladies – Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy this day and all days forward knowing how much you are loved and appreciated for who you are and all you do!

Your Head Chick,
Amanda xo

Spring brings up something a little different for me – it makes me think about asparagus – yes I know I am a nerd lol. I just love Asparagus! There are so many reasons to love it I mean how could you not?!

Asparagus..how I love these sweet green sticks!

Asparagus is a high fibre food which as you know around the coop we love high fibre high volume eating. It is also jam packed with folate and Vitamin B which both help to keep your cardiovascular system running at full steam. As well, the amino acids in asparagus work to keep you regular by flushing the body of salt and other toxins.
However, the best part in my opinion besides it being Yummy is that 4 spears are just a mere 13 calories! Here is my favorite way to enjoy this sweet veggie:

CHICK FEED: Head Chick Amanda’s Roasted Asparagus

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place Asparagus on baking sheet and top with teaspoon of oil and teaspoon of minced garlic.

2. Bake for about 7 minutes – trust me you do not want to over bake soggy asparagus = gross asparagus!

3. Remove from baking sheet

4. Top with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon of grated romano cheese

Et voila you got yourself an amazing side dish that is delicious, nutritious and filling!

Have a FAB day chicks!
Amanda xo

PS Dont forget bootcamp and Zumba start again on Mon May 7th so I hope to see y’all there!

Each month we celebrate a chick who embodies all things FIT CHICKS including fab fitness results, healthy changes in mind & body and  is inspiration to those around her (we are all warm and fuzzy!). This month, we are celebrating Cathy from our North York Bootcamp, who shows that you can still start a fab, fierce fitness journey in your 50′s (and make some new friends too!)

BEFORE: The Chicktastic Cathy

Introducing the stronger, sassier, super fabulous Cathy after finding the sweet benefits of high intensity interval training (and maybe one day a love of burpees?!   Amazing work chick!

AFTER: Strong, sassy Cathy striking a pose with her jump rope!

1. What made you decide to join FIT CHICKS?

Diane B., a friend and neighbour who lives down the street, wanted company when she decided to join so she asked me if I would go with her.  I participated in regular fitness classes in the past but once I had my son, I fell out of the routine.  My time was not my own and the space in my house was not conducive to doing the video workouts that I used to do.  While I walked regularly, biked and hiked in the summer, I needed to incorporate regularly scheduled workouts into my routine.  This bootcamp fit the bill.

Sorry to keep this short and sweet but I am just heading to sweat up a storm with the fab Roxanne at our Ottawa Kanata Bootcamp before I head back to Toronto after an awesome morning on CTV Morning Ottawa.  I even got to meet retired Ottawa Senator hockey player Shean Donovan who was there talking about an upcoming charity event (love that giving back!).

So why was I there?  To share my top tips for shedding that extra winter weight (and just to live la vida FIT CHICK!)..let me know what you think and and if you have any tips, please share!

TOP 5 TIPS TO SHED YOUR WINTER WEIGHT

Now I’m offer for a sweet high intensity interval butt kicking..wish me luck!
Laura xo

 

]]> http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/05/wellness-wednesday-top-5-tips-to-shed-your-winter-weight/feed/ 0 http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-amandas-results-are-in/ http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-amandas-results-are-in/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:37:51 +0000 admin http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/?p=3822 Continue reading →]]> Hey Chicks!

As you may recall, about a month ago I was at the Pulmonary Clinic getting some breathing tests done to try and determine what the cause was for my wheezing and shortness of breath. The breathing issues surprisingly were not during working out or any activities but more when I was asleep at night is when I would commonly feel it.
As promised here is my update on what is going down with my lungs!

So I went to get a methacholine test done – this is something typical that you get done to see if you have asthma. It is conducted at the hospital and consists of you breathing into a machine similar to the one I had previously and then inhaling some methacholine which is a gas type of liquid which will irritate your lungs and cause respiratory failure for those who have asthma.
This test is broken down into 8 stages, level one being the weakest then going all the way up to level 8 with the gas. If by level 8 you do not have any symptoms then you are said to not have asthma but if you do have asthma then what will happen is what happened to me at level 3 – shortness of breath, no lung capacity and the feeling of a 100lb weight on your chest and lungs!

So it turns out that I do in fact have asthma which came as a surprise to me since I have never had any symptoms in the past – strange right?!

So this got my doctor thinking that it might be allergy induced asthma so off I went to get some allergy tests done. When I got to Dr Lee’s office I thought that this first meeting would be a simple consult and then we would meet again to do the actual tests but surprise out he came with 18 little needles and started to stab my arm! Now, I am totally cool with getting needles, they do not freak me out but OMG this little ones really prick especially down by the wrist – yowza!

After a half hour wait it and a super itchy arm it turns out that I do in fact have allergies to all of the following:
·    Trees
·    Dust
·    Dogs
·    Cats

Dr. Lee then asked if I had any cats or dogs to which I replied yes, I have two rescued cats now which I am not willing to part with – I mean look at them who can kick these two out?!

Sleeping Beauties

So we discussed and the other solution is for me to now have a steroid pump that helps with my breathing, to have an emergency inhaler for, well, emergencies and to keep my cats out of my bedroom so that at night I can sleep a little better.

The only problem with this is Dr. Lee didn’t know that when you don’t let them in the room they spend all night meowing and putting their paws under the door to fight to get it.

So, I am willing to give up proper breathing essentially for my little rescued kitties, that has got to be love right?
Amanda xo

]]> http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-amandas-results-are-in/feed/ 0 http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/wellness-wednesday-cool-as-a-cucumber/ http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/wellness-wednesday-cool-as-a-cucumber/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:49:41 +0000 admin http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/?p=3815 Continue reading →]]> Hey Chicks,

So after a whirlwind month of weddings and Mexico twice, I am finally back to my stomping grounds in Toronto (until we got a call from CTV Morning in Ottawa to chat about how stepping up a storm does a body good and how we are doing just that in our upcoming 28 Day Pedometer Challenge.  I’ll be on on May 5th so tune in for some sweet tips!)

Now after a double dose of Mexican sun (but no medical mysteries this time – yay!), my skin has been feeling dry and yucky.  I don’t like using a lot of chemicals on my skin so I took to one of my favorite sites beautylish.com for some advice and found some kick butt DIY Cucumber Skin Care recipes.  I tried this one the other day and loved it…I even tasted it before hand and it was pretty good:)

Cucumber mask that you may wanna eat..I did!

Moisturizing Banana-Cucumber Mask (for normal to dry skin)

Courtesy of www.beautylish.com

This mask is perfect for dry skin–the banana and honey pair perfectly with the cucumber to gently refresh and nourish!

1. 1/2 cucumber (washed, skin on)
2. 1/2 banana
3. 1 Tablespoon honey
4. 4 Tablespoons lemon juice

Blend the cucumber and banana together in a food processor or blender, then stir in the honey and lemon juice until you have a smooth consistency.

Transfer the paste into a small bowl and use your hands to apply an even layer over a clean face and neck, avoiding the eye area.

Lie down for 30 minutes and let the mask work on your skin.

Wash off with lukewarm water and pat skin dry with a towel. Apply a light moisturizer afterward for extra hydration.

My skin was super soft! They also have some great all natural recipes using cucumber for oily skin as well as a refreshing little cucumber water recipe to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.

Try them out chicks and let me know what you think!

Have a fab day,

Laura

PS Come step up a storm with me for a good cause! I will be leading the warm up and 10k training walk on Sunday, April 29th for The Toronto Weekend to End Women’s Cancers…not only a great event to support but also a great way to get your steps in.  Don’t forget to wear your pedometers:)

]]> http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/wellness-wednesday-cool-as-a-cucumber/feed/ 0 http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-skipping-does-a-body-good/ http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-skipping-does-a-body-good/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:21:08 +0000 admin http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/?p=3810 Continue reading →]]> Hey Chicks!

It has been proven that Cross Training is the most effective way to burn the most amount of calories in the shortest amount of time. This is why in our Bootcamp classes we focus on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) so that we can give you chicks the most bang for your buck!

Now I am not saying don’t go for your long runs or that steady state cardio is not effective but what I am saying is if you want to max out your calorie burn you gotta switch it up and turn it up.

I love my sweet jump rope!

Here is a fantastic 25 minute workout that I personally love to do when I am short on time but looking for real results fast!

Head Chick Amanda’s Jump Rope Circuit Training!

Warm up for about 2 minutes or so with Dynamic stretches – stretches that have movement – avoid static holding stretches.

Jump rope – 2 minutes – you can jump both feet together or add in some fancy footwork like cross feet, jump feet forward and back, side to side etc.

Strength – 1 Minute – Power Squats with Overhead Press – holding weights in hand squat down touching elbows towards knees and then press hands overhead when you come back up to stand.

Jump Rope – 2 minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Jump Lunges or low impact option is to alternate side to side reverse lunges

Jump Rope – 2 Minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Stork Stance with a reverse fly – standing on one leg other one up like a capital T for 30 seconds and switching legs half way through the minute to even it out. Lifting arms up to the side and back to centre in a slow and controlled movement.

Jump Rope – 2 Minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Dips with a toe reach – Hands on a chair, table or ledge dip down and then reach opposite hand to foot to get your core also into the routine!

Jump Rope – 2 Minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Side Lunges with a Knee Up alternate side to side to really work that booty!

Jump Rope -2 Minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Push Ups – the best upper body move EVER! Just do it – start on your toes and take it to your knees if you need to but push yourself chicks!

Jump Rope – 2 Minutes

Strength – 1 Minute – Plank Hold – on elbows or hands hold plank working your core. Stay up on your toes for as long as you possibly can!

Final Cool Down Stretch – 2 Minutes – this is when you preform static movements holding stretches for at least 15 seconds per stretch.

Remember chicks with HIIT or any type of workout you want to always be working out at your 9 out of 10 so push hard and get through it, in the end you will thank yourself, guaranteed!

So what are you waiting for, grab your jump rope, head outdoors and get your sweat on!

Amanda xo

 

]]> http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-skipping-does-a-body-good/feed/ 0 http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-hangin-at-the-ottawa-women-show/ http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/2012/04/fitness-friday-hangin-at-the-ottawa-women-show/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:49:25 +0000 admin http://www.fitchicks.ca/blog/?p=3803 Continue reading →]]> Hey Chicks!

This week I am coming to you from my hometown of Ottawa ON. I have been here all week hanging with my amazing Ottawa Chick Sergeants Laura, Roxanne and Kristy!

I have been getting my sweat on and booty kicked on the daily at their Bootcamp classes. It has also been awesome being able to meet all the peeps who take part in our Ottawa Bootcamp classes.

Tonight is my last class in Kanata for the week but the fun does not stop there!
I’m staying in Ottawa this weekend for the Women’s Show where we will be hanging at our booth showing other chicks in Ottawa what it means to be Livin La Vida FIT CHICK!

Check us out at booth 903!

For all you Ottawa chicks who missed out signing up for the April bootcamp but are still wanting to get your sweat on with us this month, there is still time! We will be offering a pro-rated amount so come by and sign up. Also, make sure you come check our FIT CHICKS Gear onsite for sale; we are offering some sweet deals at the show.

Sweet workout gear

Oh and super bonus we are also giving away a free 4 week bootcamp so make sure to fill out a ballot to win, someone has to be the winner, why not you?!
The show is Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5PM at the Ottawa Convention Centre so if you are in Ottawa make sure to stop by and say hello. I will be working all weekend long at booth 903.

Want to save some bucks at the same time? We have the following E-Coupon for y’all so download it, use it and I will see you there!

Your Head Chick, Amanda xo

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