Yes I know it’s been awhile – but I have been up to quite a bit in my absence – more on that at a later date. Right now: Eight Weeks to a Better Body Challenge is officially back this week though I’ve been back on a serious workout kick since last week where I lost 4 lbs.

So here goes:

The Vitals

All Time High: 172lbs
Recent High: 168lbs
Current Weight: 164lbs
Goal Weight: 140lbs (even though to consider this Challenge a success I need to lose a minimum of 16lbs)

The Plan

- Low carb diet – haven’t really been following this as well as I should – working on it
- 2 a day workouts – been doing this and it’s been killing me
- 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day - definitely been hitting the mark here and my body thanks me for it
- Minimum 10 glasses of water a day – hit this most days and get up to as many as 16 glasses

Why Now

Well I was tried of feeling like crap and being over weight. 168lbs for me is NOT the business. That and i have a pool party on Jun 5 to attend and I REFUSE to be the chunky girl in a swimsuit and a cover up. Also there’s a really good chance someone could see me naked soon (more on that later too -lol) so I figure now is the time to get the body (back) in shape. So, as usual you will get weekly video updates from me starting next week. AND just to show you how serious I am this time here are before pics of me in a bikini no less. Geez – I must crazy:

So there you have it. Proof positive why I need a “Better Body” before June 5 arrives and I have to don said bikini (or another one) for this pool party. Anyway putting these pics up also acts as an incentive to get my act together ’cause I definitely don’t want my “before” pics to look like my “after.”

Feel free to join me in this journey…again.

Today is a new day. So, what are you waiting for.

In this final installment of our sexy arms series we’re going to look at how do we get those deltoids in tip top shape. Yes i know deltoids are technically shoulder muscles, but since we’ve worked on the biceps and triceps we can’t have our deltoids looking all shabby.

Once again we turn to YouTube for a little instruction:

1. Alternating Dumbbell Raises

2. Alternating Lateral Dumbbell Raises

3. Cable Lateral Raises

4. Ball Push-Ups

In part one of our “Sexy Arms” series we showed you how to get those triceps in shape. However it doesn’t do you any good to have sexy triceps if your biceps are lacking. So this week we’re going to turn to YouTube once again to demonstrate the bes biceps exercises for women:

1. Barbell Curls

2. Dumbbell Curl

3. Cable Curls

4. EZ Bar Curls

I’m all about having sexy, sleek arms. Once upon a time in my life (definitely not now) I had sleek, toned arms. Not too muscular. No waving flags. They were just right. So today we’re going to look at the best triceps exercises for women and we’re going to use YouTube to show you how they’re done:

1. Triceps Dips

2. Dumbbell Triceps Extensions

3. The Skull Crusher

4. Close Grip Push Ups

Winter time can be hell on a running/walking workout if you’re used to working out outside. And for those of you ladies with hair concerns, the wetness of the winter time ain’t exactly encouraging you to go exercising outdoors either.

I’m always really impressed when I see the pics of Ms. Tracy running around out there in the snow. Lord knows it couldn’t be me. It hits 40 degrees ’round here (I’m in Florida) I”m like, “Hmm…looks like I’ll be jumping rope today.” The cold on my native Floridian behind is no joke.

So that brings me to today’s post – a walking workout on a treadmill that will have you burning 2000 calories – becasue the best way to avoid those winter workout blues is to get thee on treadmill. Be it one at home or in the gym, the treadmill is a great way to avoid freezing your bullocks off in the name of staying fit.

Here’s the workout from Fitness Magazine:

Monday

* Power walk: 30 minutes
* Strength-train: 20 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Tuesday

* Warm up: Walk easily, then briskly: 3 minutes
* Power walk: 2 minutes
* Run fast (but don’t sprint): 2 minutes
* Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 10 times
* Cool down: Walk easily: 2 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Wednesday

* Warm Up: Walk easily: 5 minutes
* Do your favorite strength-training move: 12 reps
* Power walk at 4% to 6% incline: 3 minutes
* Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 6 times
* Cool down: Walk easily: 5 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

For the rest of the week’s workout keep reading.

Well I say – get over yourself – the do and be re-did and a little sweat never hurt anyone. Following is a no excuses, no equipment necessary 20 Minute At Home Workout, that even the most coach potato of couch potatoes can cut their teeth on. Enjoy!

THE NO-EQUIPMENT-NECESSARY WORKOUT

1. BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT (legs) Put your hands on your hips or fold them over your chest (1a). From a standing position, feet about shoulder-width apart, squat down until both knees reach 90 degrees (1b). As you lower yourself, keep your lower back slightly arched, head up, and stick your glutes out as if you were going to sit in a chair. Also, be sure that your knees aren’t out past your toes as you descend–if they are, you’re not moving your glutes back far enough on the descent. Once you reach the bottom position, flex through your quads, hamstrings and glutes to power yourself back up to a standing position and repeat.

2. SIDE-TO-SIDE LUNGE (legs) With your hands on your hips, assume a comfortable stance, feet shoulder-width apart, head up and torso erect (2a). From there, step with your right leg straight out to your side, as deep as you can go without moving your left foot. Plant your right foot and bend your right knee to 90 degrees (2b). Then, flexing the muscles of your thigh, push yourself back up to a standing position and repeat the movement with your left leg. Alternate side to side in this fashion until you’ve completed 10 reps per leg.

This is done without a chair but the basic move is the same

3. INVERTED PUSH-UP (shoulders) Place your feet on a chair and your hands out in front of you at shoulder-width. Without moving your feet, creep your hands backward until your body is bent almost 90 degrees and your head is facing the floor. Press up until your arms are straight–you should resemble an inverted V (3a)–then slowly lower your head toward the floor until your arms are almost bent 90 degrees (3b) and repeat.

4. PUSH-UP (chest) Place your hands a little wider than your shoulders, put your toes on the floor, feet and legs together, and raise up into an arms-extended position (4a). Slowly lower yourself until your chest just touches the floor (4b), return to the starting position and repeat. As you lower yourself, concentrate on feeling the stretch in your chest, and flex on the way up rather than using a quick piston action to finish your set.

5. CLOSE-GRIP PUSH-UP (triceps) Do these the same as you do the regular push-ups, except bring your hands closer so that your thumbs and index fingers form a triangle beneath your chest (5a). As you descend, your elbows will point outward; once your chest comes in light contact with your hands (5b), slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

6. LYING TORSO RAISE (lower back) Lie facedown on the floor and place your hands loosely behind your neck (6a). Slowly raise your upper body until your chest is a few inches off the floor (6b). You should feel your lumbar spine and lower-back muscles contracting as you rise up. Hold the top position for a two-second count, slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

7. WEIGHTLESS CONCENTRATION CURL (biceps) Standing, grasp your left wrist with your right hand (7a). Apply pressure with the hand as you slowly and deliberately curl your left arm (7b). Once your elbow is fully bent, give your biceps an extra squeeze and hold for a second before slowly lowering. Complete all reps for one side before switching arms. Since you don’t have the benefits of a weight, you need to do this exercise in a controlled fashion–focus on keeping your working biceps fully engaged throughout each rep, and apply some challenging pressure with that nonworking hand.

8. CRUNCH (abs) Lie faceup, your knees bent and feet on the floor. Keep your hands behind your head (8a)–avoid the temptation to pull on your head as you tire. Curl your torso as you bring your shoulder blades up a few inches (8b), squeeze your abs, and then slowly return to the starting position. To keep the pressure on, don’t spend more than a second in the “down” position; the longer your shoulder blades are off the floor, the more work your abs must do.

am a member over at bodybuilding.com forums and have been for about ten years. I really use the place as a reference guide as it is a wealth of information. Well there is also a member there who I have seen in and out of the forums and she goes by the name of chickentuna. I won’t lie, I have checked out her pics on more than one occasion, but I never actually checked out her web page. It seems that everyone has a page or a blog or whatever. As much as you may like someone there are only so many hours in a day and you just can’t be friends with everyone. Well this morning as I was taking my 10 minutes of internet time to check email, print out my news for the day (I just print and go) I stopped by bodybuilding.com and caught out of the corner of my eye the word chickentuna and her website so I took a couple of extra minutes to check it out.

Getting right down to it, she makes a ton of sense and I wish I would have dropped by sooner. She has a no B.S. approach (which I prefer) She explains what it is that she does to look the way she wants to, and bluntly explains that this probably isn’t for you…. BUT if it is for you, its probably gonna suck real bad. She keeps her diet very simple and leads a disciplined lifestyle. In her site she has a list of foods which I thought was very sensible and as she calls it “plain food” Given the list of things that she eats I could come up with tons of different meals but as she says herself she doesn’t cook, so if you can cook thats all the more stuff you can do with it.

If for nothing else the site is motivational, and really is worth the look. I love the rant page she has and the last paragraph “lucky”  is priceless.

Her page is http://www.bunklers.com/

and her progress pictures over at bodybuilding.com are Here

You can do it!!!

Of course you do.

And push-ups are the way to get those sleek, sexy, toned arms our First Lady rocks. It’s the easiest, no equipment or special location needed exercise and a great way to not just build up your arms, but your shoulders, back and core as well.

Push-ups truly are a total upper body workout.

Economic hard times have Americans downsizing their workout equipment, trimming their workout budgets, and shifting their workout venues, according to a sporting goods industry survey.

“The fitness industry was not immune from the effects of a tough economy,” said Tom Cove, president of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), a global organization which conducted the poll.

SGMA represents over 1,000 sports manufacturers, retailers and marketers around the world. They have published their study, Tracking the Fitness Movement, for 10 years.

The 2009 edition puts U.S. wholesale sales of fitness gear and equipment sold for use in home, clubs and institutions, at $4.2 billion in 2008, down from $4.7 billion the year before.

So how do you manage to keep your workout going when your pockets are lighter? Very easily actually. Follow these simple tips and you’ll be burning the fat and saving money:

1. Join the YMCA – YMCA memberships are based on your income and are significantly lower than traditional gym memberships. Their facilities are right on par with for profit fitness clubs and the YMCA also has many free and low cost fitness/nutritional and sports activities. It’s also great if you have a family as there are many activities for kids and the whole family to enjoy.

2. Hit the Park – I live in the city with the largest park system in the country and I’ve been making full use of them. Walking, running, even strength training in local parks is a great way t get you workout on without spending any money. It’s also nice to be out in the elements enjoying the fresh hair. Fall is upon us so make sure you have the proper gear to keep warm as your’re exercising outside.

3. Invest in Dumbells, an Exercise Ball and Exercise Mat – If you have dumbells, an exercise ball and a workout mat you have all you need to get in a good workout for little money. Whatever weight machine you used in the gym, you can mimic with the aforementioned fitness equipment.

4. Break Out the Workout DVD’s – It’s time to dust off those old Jane Fonda or Donna Richardson workout dvd’s. It may seem a little corner to go bouncing around your living room with spnadexed, leg warmered, head band wearing fitness gurus of the 80′s and 90′s, but hey – burning calories is burning calories. If you currently don’t own any workout dvd’s you can get them for cheap on Amazon.

While the recession is has been difficult for many black women, we shouldn’t allow it to derail out fitness goals. If you’re serious about getting fit their is a way to make it happen without a fitness club membership, home fitness equipment or without breaking the bank in the general.

Those muscles that even when you get your quads and hamstrings looking tight and sexy still manage to flap about like a turkey waddle.

I can say that my inner thighs are also the one part of my legs that never seems to want to cooperate with the rest of my leg muscles. I will have that tightest looking calves, quadriceps and hamstrings and my inner thighs will just be loose and hanging and making think I will never get in a swimsuit or have sex with the lights on again.

Ever.

However while spot reduction isn’t possible (you’re going to have to lose the weight fist before you can start toning the muscles) there are cetain exercise that ae great at targeting the entire leg with a special emphais on those hard to reach inner thigh muscles.

The Wide Leg Squat

Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Side Step Lunges

Scissor Kicks