I’ll admit it; I could use some more upper body strength, not to mention a tighter core (who couldn’t?). And even though I love my yoga and it has done wonders for both, lately I have been wanting to switch it up a little bit and add some more fever for the flavor.

So when Mike asked me if I wanted to start working on pull-ups with him during our park workouts, I was highly intrigued. Now, at first I wasn’t so sure how this was going to go; I’ve seen my man do his pull-ups and I knew I couldn’t hang. But once he showed me how they could be modified using techniques that our friend and NYC-based personal trainer Al Kavadlo uses, I was in!

I’ll let the video do the talking for most of this post, but I gotta tell ya, I am SO loving these pull-ups, way more than I thought I would. I am seeing such a difference in my arms, shoulders, and even my core. I have been combining these with my 12 Minute Workout, which I learned from Dr. John Douillard and discussed in a previous post, doing some squats and lunges in between sets, and ending with some gentle yoga. It’s truly a well rounded workout for the body, mind, and soul.

And just like many of the other workout options I have presented for you guys, it doesn’t take a lot of time or money it get it done! If you add this with the 12 Minute Workout and some yoga stretches at the end, you are done in about 30-40 minutes (depending on how many sets and how much yoga you wanna end with) and you can do it at your local park for F.R.E.E. That’s what I’m talkin about! It’s also a great way to soak in the summer sunshine and bond with your friend, spouse, or mate, since doing these pull-ups as I presented them requires a spotter. Remember, the couple that sweats together stays together….and the benefits of that play into all areas of your relationship (more on that another time)!

Are you ready to build your upper body strength and get that core solid?
Who can you enlist to be your Workout Partner In Crime?

Before I get into today’s post, I got say how much I have missed you guys! It has been a while since I have done my last post..things have been crazy busy! Between wrapping up my Summer Stunner Detox,finishing up my last year of teaching, to now vacationing to see family and friends in Florida, time has been a valuable and hard to capture asset! Glad to be back in the blog saddle!

Speaking of time being a very valuable asset, this new 12 minute interval training I have been doing has been remarkable at keeping me fit and sane in the midst of all this action! I was lucky enough to learn about this approach of cardio-training from none other than my fave Ayurvedic doctor, Dr. John Douillard. In his article, “Be Fit, Thin, and Calm in 12 Minutes a Day”, Dr. Douillard explains the hows and whys of how to approach this workout technique, which nicknames “Chasing the Rabbit”. The approach, he says, is built upon the science of heart rate variability. Here’s how he explains it:

“When you are fit, your heart has the variability to go very high, recover and then beat very low when at rest.

Historically, we would exercise as a way of survival. Hunting a rabbit wouldn’t require 45 minutes in your heart rate training zone three times a week. It would require multiple sprints that would last about a minute, followed by periods of rest while you wait for the rabbit to show again.

When we were hunting rabbits, we would sprint and get the heart rate up , then rest and be perfectly still while waiting for it to come out of its hole. Once the rabbit was out, the chase was on again and the heart rate goes up, followed by waiting and resting where the heart rate goes very low. This is called Heart Rate Variability Training.”

So what exactly does the IT kinda movement look like?

Basically it consists of the following:
1) Warm Up– Exercise slowly for 2 minutes using your fave machine or simply walking briskly or jogging slowly. Remember, this is not the time to go all out and be sure to breathe deeply in and out of your nose.

2) Sprint– You wanna go all out for a minute here, but in a way that you can still breathe deeply in and out through your nose. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to build up your stamina over time. BTW, you can vary what your sprint looks like. According to Dr. Douillard, “Sprints can be running up and down your stairs, jumping jacks, jumping on and off a curb for one minute – just get the exertion level up.”

3)Recovery– For one minute, allow your body to recover by going back to the warm up pace. Nasal breathing is still important. Dr. Douillard says, “Nasal Breathing during the recovery will force air into the lower lobes of the lungs allowing for more efficient release of CO2 and activation of the calming parasympathetic nervous system that predominates in the lower lobes of the lungs. This will help you release toxins and stress.”

4)Repeat the sprint and recovery modes 3 more times– This will bring you to a total of 4 rounds of sprint/recovery. Nasal breathing is still important. (I am still working on maintaining my nasal breathing during this!)

5)Cool It Now (AKA Cool-Down)– You made it! Now just repeat Step 1. Exercise slowly with deep nasal breathing for 2 minutes.

It sounded good to me and made sense. Being a huge fan of Dr. Douilliard, I decided to put it to the test. Can you really get fit in just 12 minutes a day, you may be asking? Well, I think the answer is yes and Dr. Douillard points out that this type of workout does not have to be your only way of getting in movement; it is a nice compliment to what else you might be doing already. He states, “This twelve minute routine can be performed daily or a minimum of 3x/week for cardiovascular improvements. You can use this as your entire workout or as a cardiovascular warm up before yoga, a bike ride or hiking. In these twelve minutes, you will build your cardiovascular base.”

For about 3 weeks now, I have been combining this with some pull-ups and circuit training which I will talk about in upcoming posts. I gotta tell you that my favorite summer shorts are fitting me much better these days and combined with my healthy eating and yoga practice, I am feeling strong and fit.Go ahead and “chase the rabbit” and add in some of your other faves; you’ll be sure to get in at least a 20 minute workout altogether. Best of all, this way of moving is further proof that it doesn’t take a gym membership to get you fit and fabulous!

Are you ready to chase the rabbit?

Summer is officially here and as the days get hotter, longer, and fun summer bbq’s and dinners come our way, nothing is better to eat and share than a refreshing yet filling salad. Today’s recipe is inspired by Karina, The Gluten-Free Goddess. All I can say is that if you haven’t checked out this blog, you need to get on it! Karina is the queen of all that is tasty and gluten free.

I took her awesome Quinoa Taco Salad, altered it to make it easier to digest (that means no corn) and also detox friendly for all my Summer Stunner Detoxers (I love you, SSD’s!). The end result is a filling, yummy, gluten-free salad that is full of all that’s great about summer cooking and about 99% solely farmers’ market ingredients. This salad is great for dinner, lunch, or to take to a summer potluck.

(Quick tip: Quinoa has a naturally occurring, protective coating called saponin. Soaking overnight or a few hours helps to remove it best, but if you don’t have time to do that, rinising it will also help to remove it. This process also helps to make it even more digestible.)

Lime Avocado Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa cooked in two cups water (you can do this on the stove or in a rice cooker)
• Olive Oil (as needed)
• The juice of 2-3 limes (fresh limes, no bottled stuff!)
• 1 large avocado, pitted and diced
• Small handful of chopped cilantro
• 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• Sea salt
• One diced white or yellow peach
• 1 large head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, rinsed, dried, and chopped

Directions: Cook quinoa and set aside in a large bowl.

In the large bowl, drizzle the quinoa with a bit of olive oil and toss well. Then, squeeze the lime juice and sea salt (to taste) and toss again.

Next, add in your cilantro, red onion, green onion, and toss again. Add in the avocado and toss. Lastly, add in the diced peach, toss, and add in more lime juice if desired.

In a salad bowl, line the bowl with the lettuce, scoop out some of the salad onto the lettuce, and garnish with a couple of lime wedges or extra avocado. This salad goes lovely with some grilled or baked salmon, which is what I did with mine.

Hope you enjoy and, should you make this, you will be the star of your next summer potluck!

Time has definitely been an issue over here. I have been stretched pretty thin with getting my Summer Stunner Detox up and going, working with my private clients, teaching those Kinders, not to mention making sure my uber talented man, Mike Lieberman of UrbanOrganicGardener.com, had a great birthday. Whew! But you know what? First, I love all those things so I’m grateful to be giving my attention to them. Second, I haven’t let lack of time be an obstacle in staying fit. I’m staying true blue to my 20 For 30 Challenge and loving it!

Even though I didn’t have as much time as I did in the previous week and a half to put into my workouts, I always managed to find at least 20 minutes and on many days, a whole lot more. Sometimes it’s been at night and sometimes, like today, I started my day with a workout. This morning it was a yummy 1 hour flow at Lululemon Athletica Santa Monica. Two of my fave yoga teachers, Ally Hamilton and Mary Beth LaRue from Yogis Anonymous, did a FREE tag-team yoga class that lifted my spirits and got my day off right. Gotta love a low cost or no cost workout that makes you feel like a million bucks!

So much of my inspiration has also come from you guys, hearing what you have been doing AND knowing that I gotta come through on my commitment to all of YOU! Special thanks to Leo, Melisa, Priya, and Georgia for letting me know what you have been doing…and I want to hear even more from even more folks…keep those comments comin’! (Be sure to check out today’s video for more info on what these readers have been doing!)

And if you haven’t got hip to the challenge, it’s not too late! Even though we are half way through, you can still use this challenge to motivate yourself. And speaking of not too late, it’s not too late to get going with my Summer Stunner Detox program. The official kick-off is June 9th so there is still time! If you have been needing the motivation, guidance, support, and a solid program that will bring you RESULTS (weight-loss, more energy, glowing skin…yeah, good stuff like that!) then THIS is IT! Be sure to visit here to get more info and to sign up now…let this summer be the one that you will remember as the one where you got your confidence back and your life in full swing!

Keep it moving everyone!!! 🙂