Fitness Tip: Do What’s YOU

What makes you happy? Do that.
Image: Shutterstock

I have some confessions to make: I hate lifting weights. I hate doing pushups. I hate working out while I’m isolated.

I don’t “do” treadmills; I prefer going for a jog around the neighborhood. When it’s just me, it’s a 50/50 whether I will follow through with a workout; but when I have a workout buddy, I’ll happily go 99% of the time. 

Does the fact that I have all these dislikes mean that I just need to suck it up and adjust my attitude? I don’t think so. I think it means my body and mind are trying to tell me something.

You see, I have a philosophy on how to live life: happy. If a workout makes me miserable and I have to force myself to do it five days a week, that’s five hours of happiness that I’ve cheated myself out of. The solution lies in finding the activity that’s right for me. Something I can enjoy. Something that makes me happy. Something that makes me love myself, not something that makes me miserable.

I do hot yoga because it makes me happy <3
Image: Shutterstock

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen my tweet earlier about my newfound love of hot yoga. I’ve posted about it before, and I finally tried it last week—and let me tell you, I’m completely hooked. In a week I’ve been back three times, and I’ve no intention of slowing down. The best part is, I absolutely love it. I love the challenge, the group mentality, the calming effect, and hell, even the heat and sweat.

Is hot yoga right for everyone? Maybe not (although I do suggest trying it sometime). But I do believe that there is something out there for everyone, if not many things for everyone. Some people get in shape doing one specific type of workout, and others mix it up to keep things interesting—do whatever works best for you!

Jessica Alba mixes up her workouts.
Image:Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com 

I was just reading about a woman named Kelly O’Malley Mattone, M.D. She was trained at Mount Sinai, owns her own Boutique Cosmetic Practice called O_MD Med Studio, and is married to Carl Mattone, a successful real estate mogul in New York. But what caught my eye about her was her pursuit of passion. She ice skates, kick boxes, rock climbs, skis, plays tennis, and loves ballroom dance. What’s more is that she’s opening up her own ballroom dance and fitness studio to share that love with others. To me, she’s a great example of figuring out what it is that you love and then just going for it.

Another great example is Jessica Alba. She mixes up her workout routine with a variety of workouts, from Bootcamps to the gym to swimming to yoga. She also constantly eats “clean” all the time. She also founded The Honest Company, which specializes in baby, bath & body, cleaning, and health & wellness products that are safe to use in the home and around children.

What are you passionate about? Is it running, lifting weights, doing yoga or pilates, dancing, playing sports, or something else? If you don’t know, find out! It will make leading a healthy, happy life so much easier. 

Workout Advice for the Gym

How many of you have ever walked into a gym only to stop and think, “I don’t know how to work any of these machines!” I know I have. But I want you to put that panic button aside and resist the urge to avoid gyms simply because you feel like you don’t know how to get the most out of the gym experience.

Make sure you get some treadmill or other cardio time in at the gym!

Image: Shutterstock

Personally, I’m a fan of at-home workouts, but I’ve found that there are some great advantages that gyms have to offer that are certainly worth trying out. Plus, if you are someone who finds motivation in the masses and laziness in isolation, the gym might be the best place for you to work out.

Goblet squats with dumbbells make a simple move a little tougher.
Image from oprah.com

So what kind of workouts can you do in a gym? First, start with what you know: the basics. There are usually plenty of open, matted spaces inside gyms where you can do the same moves you would at home—pushups, sit-ups, lunges, squats, etc. Plus, chances are that someone else will be doing some of the same activities.

Once you feel you’ve mastered basic moves, you can move on to some of the weights and machines in a gym. While you may want to focus on getting nice legs or arms, remember that if you don’t have a strong core you won’t get very far. Kettlebell workouts, the Captain’s Chair, planks, crunches, exercise ball sit-ups, and medicine ball workouts will help ensure that your core is becoming strengthened as well as your limbs.

Lastly, make sure you get some cardio in! There are plenty of options: treadmills, stair-steppers, ellipticals, and maybe even some aerobics classes. Try to work at least thirty minutes of cardio into each workout. This will help burn extra belly fat and increase your endurance.

Simple kettlebell exercises
Image from kettlebellworkoutz.com

Here are some simple workouts you can try at the gym, borrowed from an article by Matthew Katz. He interviewed Frank Paganucci, who has enjoyed taking advantage of the gym at his condo building, Azure.

Complete as many circuits as possible in 10 minutes:

Beginner: 5 sit-ups or crunches, 10 push-ups, 15 walking lunges

Advanced: 5 v-ups, 10 manmakers with dumbbells, 15 walking lunges with dumbbells.

Three circuits as fast as possible:

Beginner: 10 squat jumps, 100m treadmill sprint

Advanced: 10 goblet squats (with kettlebell held to chest), 100m treadmill sprint

Complete as quickly as you can:

Beginner: 100 squats, with four burpees at the start of every minute

Advanced: 100 squats with dumbells, with four burpees at the start of every minute.

Azure is a joint venture by the Carl Mattone real estate group and the DeMatteis Organization, and is located in New York City.

Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures

People will go to great lengths to preserve youth and beauty, especially when it comes to their faces. Taking care of our bodies goes a long way in keeping us looking youthful for many years past what some others might experience. For example, those who get a dark tan and have lots of exposure to UV rays will often develop more wrinkles and “leathery” looking skin as they age, whereas those who are careful to protect their skin will develop fewer wrinkles later in life.

Microcurrent Facial Sculpting uses electrical currents to lift and firm.
Image from hdbeautynow.com

But beyond simple tricks to keep wrinkles at bay, which I wrote a post on back in February, many people resort to surgical and non-surgical procedures to help them stay young looking. As far as cosmetic medicine goes, the most I’ve ever participated in was a facial—but I’ve always been intrigued by some of the methods that have been developed to keep the wrinkles at bay.

Here are some of the non-surgical procedures I’ve heard of people using and what I could find out about them:

Microcurrent Facial Sculpting lifts and firms muscles using tiny electrical currents so slight that they can’t be felt. They help relax tightened muscles and help sagging muscles regain strength and firm up. Microcurrent treatments essentially restore the facial muscles to their original shape and position, and the effects can be seen immediately.

Invisilift tightens and tones the face and neck using sound waves (like an ultrasound). These sound waves do several things, including increasing blood and oxygen flow in the skin, stimulating lymphatic drainage, and increasing collagen and elastin production in the dermis (which helps us produce healthier skin). It can help with acne, rosacea, complexion color and texture, puffiness, sagging skin, and pore size.

Suzanne Somers is on Mattone's "Wall of Fame"
Image from suzannesomers.com

Endermologie reduces cellulite appearance and circumference using a sucking and rolling technique that smooths cellulite while redistributing dimpled skin. Essentially, it helps with the “cottage cheese” appearance that our top layer of fat can have. Its effects are temporary and most noticeable on those who are in fairly good shape.

Celebrities and A-listers have used many of these procedures in the past, and doctors like Kelly O’Malley Mattone have walls of fame that feature people like the Cuomos, Suzanne Somers and Russell Crowe. Mattone grew up with a love for both medicine and aesthetics, which is why she eventually made her way into cosmetic medicine after working in sports medicine for many years. She now has her own cosmetics line and cosmetic medicine studio. Her husband, real estate mogul Carl Mattone, is equally as successful in his career as well. Talk about a power couple!

What do you all think of procedures like these? Like I said, I’ve never tried any of them before, but I am intrigued by them. They seem harmless enough, and I suppose if you’ve got the money and it matters that much to you it could be worth it. For now, I’ll stick to using sunscreen, eating salmon, and drinking tea J