Everybody is built differently. Some people are naturally stronger in their upper body, and others tend to be stronger in their lower body. I’m definitely a lower body person – I have long legs with lots of power! I’m proud of my toned legs, but because my arms are weaker, I’m always looking for great arm workouts to build some upper body tone. I came across this one and I had to share it. I tried it and loved it! It’s a basic set of arm strengthening moves, but sometimes basic is exactly what you need.

Check it out and tell me what you think! Read More »

The one area of your body you can never work to much is your core. It helps with posture, stabilization, endurance, and overall bodily strength. Plus, I find that some good core exercises are the quickest way for me to feel cleansed and re-energized after a period of stress and sloppiness. And since I just finished finals, I am currently coming out on the other side of a few weeks of serious stress and sloppiness. So without further ado, a quick ab blast!

1. One legged plank

Start in a plank position. Pull your right knee in toward your chest, as far up as you can, and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat, holding the left knee in toward your chest. Make sure to think of pulling your bellybutton in toward your spine to engage your abs, pull your leg in farther, and support your back.

2. Toe touches

Lie on your back, and extend both legs straight up into the air. Curling your head, neck and shoulder blades off the ground, reach your hands toward your toes. Pulse 3o times, without lowering your head down until you are finished. If your back or hips feel strained, bend your knees slightly. To increase the difficulty, lower your legs down toward the floor a little bit, but do NOT do so if it hurts your back.

Repeat the entire series 3-5 times.

What I’m wearing: top by Zobha, pants by Soybu, shoes by New Balance.

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

Lately, study after study has come out showing that interval training, or burst training, is the most effective way to get in shape, stay in shape and increase endurance. So what is burst training? In this high-intensity interval training, you do a full body exercise for 30-60 seconds, rest for the same amount of time, and repeat until you’ve been going for about 4-12 minutes. The most important aspect of this training style is that, during the intervals, you are pushing yourself absolutely as hard as you can go.

Interval training is perfect for days when you don’t have much time or space to exercise. This video, made by fitness and nutrition expert JJ Virgin, is the best explanation of interval training I’ve seen. I interviewed JJ back in December, and this lady knows her stuff. She explains everything you need to know about how to burst train safely and effectively. Check it out! Read More »

I don’t know about you, but I’m in the midst of finals and I’m going stir-crazy. I’ve been sitting for long periods to study and write papers, and I’m feeling stiff and cramped. Unfortunately for us students, sitting in chairs isn’t great for your physical health. The human body isn’t built to sit in chairs for long periods of time – it’s actually built to be in constant motion.

Spending lots of time seated leads to general muscle tightness in your entire body, but for most people, it’s worst in the lower back and hips. So this week, I’ve demonstrated a few stretches that are great for relieving tension in those areas.

Stretching is an important part of building muscle tone that is often overlooked. All muscles have an optimum length. If all you ever do is contract your muscles, through weightlifting and other forms of exercise, you actually shorten the muscle. This decreases your range of motion and makes the muscle less efficient, which is exactly the opposite of what you want! Relieving muscle tension is also a great way to reduce stress over all. Moral of the story: make sure you stretch every time you work out. And if your back is killing you, get up and stretch it out! Here’s how. Read More »

With summer right around the corner, the “omg get the greatest bikini body EVAR” crash diets are all over the place. But as we all know (I hope!), crash dieting is not the way to get the body you want. In fact, starving yourself is actually going to make you gain more weight down the road, because you’re more likely to overeat after a period of depriving your body of the nutrients it needs.

Eating right and exercising daily is what’s really going to get you the “bikini body” you want. One of the body parts that’s most exposed in a bikini is your stomach, so I decided to focus on ab exercises this week. This video promises “sexy yoga abs.” It’s a bit cheesy, but take a look at that lady’s stomach! I want what she has. Check it out: Read More »

Cardio kickboxing is one of my favorite workout classes. It’s awesome for toning the whole body, especially the arms and abs, not to mention the butt-kicking cardio. But I don’t make it to class as often as I would like, mostly because regular classes just aren’t in my budget. Enter this awesome video! It’s a quick, 10 minute cardio kickboxing workout that you can do at home. It’s a great small-space workout that packs a punch. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Read More »

Your obliques! They’re awesome. Why, you ask? Allow me to explain.

Most people think of their obliques as the “side” abdominal muscles, on either side of the “six pack” (actually called the rectus abdominis). That’s sort of true – your obliques are visible on either side of the rectus abdominis. But they’re actually a deeper layer of muscle – two layers, in fact – situated underneath the rectus abdominis. And those two layers of muscle wrap around your waist, kind of like a corset.

Blah blah blah, but what does it all mean? Here’s the thing: as you tone and strengthen your obliques, they actually pull in, making your waist smaller. Like a corset! But without whalebone and pain. And because I don’t advocate pain or the killing of whales for their bones, here’s an oblique workout that will slim your waist the natural way.

1. Bicycle

You know this one! An oldie and a goodie. Lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor. Bend your right knee and twist your upper body toward it, then switch and twist toward the left leg. Repeat without stopping for one minute. Imagine pulling your bellybutton toward your spine the entire time, so your abdominals are scooping in, not bulging out.

2. Side Plank

Hold on the right side for 30 seconds, then switch and hold on the left. While this might feel like a big arm and back workout, your obliques are really what’s supporting you here. Think of the same idea – your bellybutton pulling in toward your spine – to maintain the alignment of your back.

What I’m wearing: top by The North Face, pants by Soybu, shoes by Nike.

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

Have you ever gone out dancing and then realized the next day that you’re exhausted? And sore? (If you haven’t, you’re missing out.) That’s because those epic dance moves of yours are great for toning, not to mention cardio. So listen up class, because this week I’m giving you the best assignment ever: an epic dance party.

But that sounds so easy. Too easy to be a real workout, right? Wrong. After a few minutes of all-out dancing with total abandon, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Dance however you want, to whatever song you want, coordinated or completely ridiculous. But keep moving and get that heart rate up! You can invite friends if you want, but I’ve found that sometimes you just need to have a solo dance party. It’s a great stress reliever, and the perfect study break activity. It’s also great for your small space, but be careful and try not to sprain your hand by smacking it into your bedpost. Yes, I actually did that.

To get you started, here are a few videos for epic dance inspiration:

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

No, I’m not talking about sex. Although dolphins are very promiscuous animals. I’m talking about the dolphin pose, from yoga. It’s a great strengthener for your back, shoulders, and core. Plus, it’s quick, easy, and perfect for small spaces. Check out this dolphin series, including a stretch to do afterward.

1. Forearm plank to dolphin

Begin in a forearm plank, pulling your bellybutton toward your spine to support your back. Slowly begin to walk your feet in toward your arms, stopping when your feet are as close to your arms as you can get them. Imagine your shoulder blades gliding down your back, so that your shoulders don’t hunch up toward your ears. Hold at the top for 30 seconds, then slowly walk your feet back down. Repeat as many times as you want. Read More »

The squat is the go-to exercise for toning the butt. It’s easy, can be done at home or in the gym, and with or without added weight. So basically, squats are pretty awesome. But they get old, and it’s always good to switch up your exercise routine to continue challenging yourself.

Recently, the American Council on Exercise conducted a study to determine which exercises are best for toning the glutes and hamstrings. Good old squats and lunges were high on the list, but the top exercise for hamstring and glutes was the quadruped hip extension. What’s that, you ask? You’re about to find out. Read on and check out this quick quadruped hip extension series that can be done easily at home or in the gym.

Quadruped Hip Extension Series

You will do this entire series of three exercises with your right leg, and then repeat the whole thing with the left leg.

1. Begin on your hands and knees. Extend your right leg straight behind you, hovering your toes just off the floor. Lift your leg up so that it is level with your back, and lower down so that your toes are just off the floor. Don’t touch your right leg to the floor until you are finished with the set! Repeat 10 times.

2. Hold your right leg straight behind you, level with your back. Trying your best to keep your leg at the same height, bend your knee and draw your right foot in toward your butt. Then extend your leg straight again. Repeat 10 times.

3. Hold your right leg out behind you, bent at the knee. Now lift your leg up, as if you were going to put the sole of your foot on the ceiling, and lower down again. Repeat 10 times.

Repeat the full series with the left leg.

What I’m wearing: top by Zobha, pants by Soybu, shoes by New Balance

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.