Muscle of the Week...

TRICEPS. Your triceps are located on the posterior side of your upper arm. This post is for all those woman out there who are don't like their flabby upper arms. There are many exercises that you can do to tone the arms but one muscle you can work that will really make a difference, if consistent of course, are the triceps. Do this exercise 2-3 times a week and I promise you will see results and your arms will start to firm up.

The Tricep Kickback Exercise

***If you haven't used weights before I would recommend trying this without weights to start, and then adding light weights to begin with.

To do this exercise you will need a dumb bell, weight of your choice, and a bench is recommended although this exercise can be done on your hands and knees on the floor also.

Place one hand on the bench as well as the same side knee bent up on the bench, as shown in the above picture. You will hold the weight in your free hand. You want your back to be flat, head and neck straight, and abs tight (pull that belly button to your spine). Bring you arm up in a 90 degree angle next to your side, elbow tucked into your side nice and tight. Then leaving your upper arm in place next to your side kick your lower arm back until you can feel your tricep getting tight. Repetition is key when doing weighted exercises. I would recommend doing 3 sets of 10. To make this exercise harder as you become more advanced try using heavier weights and up the number of repetitions you do, try 5 sets of 12.

Feature Food: Tomato

Since this is the harvest season and there are so many good foods to choose from this time of year I decided to highlight one of my personal favorites...tomatoes.


1. A large consumption of tomato can help improve skin texture and color.
2. Tomato is a good blood purifier.
3. Tomato helps in cases of congestion of the liver (protects the liver from cirrhosis) as well as for dissolving gallstones.
4. Tomato is a natural antiseptic therefore it can help protect against infection Nicotinic acid in tomatoes can help to reduce blood cholesterol, thus helps prevent heart diseases.
5. Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to prevent hemorrhages.
6. Tomato contain lycopene (the red pigment in tomato), this pigment is a powerful antioxidant that can also fight cancer cells.

I love to just eat tomatoes fresh from the garden with salt and pepper. So eat up, and reap the benefits of this lovely red food.

Spin/Cycle

Highlight for the week, and one of my personal favorites, spin class. If you want a high intensity workout with loud music and lots of energy I definitely recommend trying out a spin class. For those who haven't ever been to spin class or even seen inside a spin room let me lay out a mental picture for you. At first sight it is a room full of stationary spin bikes, anywhere from 20-50. All the bikes are facing towards the front of the room. One, sometimes two, bikes are facing the 20-50 spin bikes; these are for the instructor.

Setting up the bike

You start by adjusting the bike. Ask the instructor to help set up you with this. Adjust the seat height as well as how close or far away you are from your handle bars. Also adjust the height of the handle bars. In the center of the handle bars and right below the top where you put your hands, there is a knob the turns; this controls the resistance of the bike. Resistance meaning how hard or easy it is to pedal. Once you are situated, get on the bike and get comfortable because this is where you will be for the next 50-60 min!

The Workout

The class will start off with a warm-up which consists of continually pedaling while the instructor leads you in upper body stretches that last about 5 minutes (arms, upper back, neck). Next the main part of the work-out. This changes everyday depending on what the instructor plans. Here of some examples of what to expect. Intervals: short sprints lasting anywhere from10 sec to 1 minute. It could also mean short time segments with high resistance, all of which are repeated multiple times. Hills: starting with low resistance and slowly increasing the resistance over a period of time. This could go on for 15-25 minutes depending on the day. Standing: this is where the resistance is turned up either a little or quite a bit. Holding on to the handle bars you stand while pedaling. This can be done as short intervals, where you rotate between standing and sitting, or for a long period of time.

Helpful Tips

Believe it or not there are things that you can do wrong with riding a bike. These few tips will allow for an enjoyable workout with out the pain.

First, while pedaling make sure your knees are pointing straight ahead, not turned in or out. When resistance is high there is a tendency to not pay attention to what your knees are doing. Knees pointing in or out can cause pain, so keep those knees straight and pointing in front of you.

Second, keep your back straight and your shoulders down. This means your whole back, from lower to upper. No hunching over, no rounded backs and no arching in the back. This will help alleviate lower back pain. Keep those shoulders down, don't bring stress to a new part of the body, let your legs do all the work during your spin workout.

Third, your quads are stronger muscles than your calves, so lets use them. When pedaling keep your foot flat on the pedals, no pointed toes. Flat as you pedal forward and heel down as you come back up. A good visual is act like you are scraping dog poop off the bottom of your shoe, heel down and pull up. Better utilizing your quad muscles will help your legs sustain a longer workout. Bigger muscles, such as your quads, will allow for more energy.

Fourth, allow your elbows to be slightly bent. This will take any added pressure off of your arms as well as allow for continual circulation to your arms.

Fifth, when doing sprints if your butt is bouncing up and down off the seat then your resistance isn't high enough. Be in control of the bike and your body. While sitting you should feel very stable and not out of control.

Finally, DRINK LOTS OF WATER!! Bring a water bottle and don't forget to drink through out the entire workout. During aerobic exercise your body needs 8 ounces every 15-25 minutes.

Deltoid Muscle

Muscle of the day is the Deltoids or the shoulder muscle. Deltoids are the thick flat muscle responsible for the round shape of the shoulder. It has three heads, front head, medial head, and rear head. Each of these three heads have different actions and therefore need different exercises to work each one. Below is a diagram of each side of the deltoid muscle we will be working anterior, medial, and posterior.

***while doing the following exercises consider starting will lower amounts of weight and working your way up as to not strain the muscle.

You will need hand weights and a work out band to perform the following exercises.

Front Raise/Anterior Deltoid

To perform this exercise correctly stand with your feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent, and neck, spine and pelvis in neutral position. Shoulders are down and wrists straight. Keep your trunk/abs tight and slowly lift weights to a 90 degree angle out in front of you. Movement is slow and controlled. Avoid using momentum to get weight back up in front of you. Repeat 10 times each arm.

Lateral Raise/Medial Deltoid

Start with legs hip width apart, knees slightly bent. Shoulders relaxed and down, elbows tucked into your side and bent at 90 degrees in front of you (as if you are holding a lunch tray). Keeping arms bent lift upwards until arms are at shoulder level. Slowly take back down and repeat ten times.

Seated Row/Posterior Deltoid

Sit on the floor with legs out in front of you, knees slightly bent. Spine and pelvis are aligned over your sit bones. Spine is tall and in neutral position. Shoulders and scapulae relaxed, down and back. Abs are tight and strong. Hold handles of work out band in front of you and pull back until elbows are at sides in a 90 degree angle. Release slowly allowing arms to reach out in front and slowly pull back again repeating 10 times.