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3 Simple Barre Moves You Can Do While Chilling on the Couch

We’ve all been there: five hours deep into a new series, glued to the couch (except to get up for snacks, of course) and feeling absolutely no motivation to get up and get moving. Luckily, we’ve got 5 exercises you can do without leaving your comfy spot. So turn on Netflix, grab your popcorn, and get ready to feel the burn!

Clamshell

Lying on one side, point your knees down toward the floor and toes to the sky. Glue your heels together and open and close your legs, squeezing your glutes each time you open. Think about stacking your hips and engaging your core to stabilize your center as your legs move. This exercise sculpts the glutes.

Repeat 15 times (3-4 sets)

Back Dancing Walkouts

Lying on your back, plant your heels into the ground and draw your hips a few inches into the air. Walk your legs out away from the body four times, while keeping your booty up, then walk back in. The further out you walk your feet, the more you’ll feel your muscles contracting. This exercise strengthens your glutes and hamstrings.

Repeat 5 times (2-3 sets)

Scissor Kicks

Lying on your back, straighten one leg up toward the ceiling and hover the other just an inch off the couch. Hold for two counts before alternating legs. Think about drawing the navel to spine and knitting the ribs together, activating the entire core.

Repeat 10 times each side (2-3 sets)

Outdoor workouts are trending right now, and for good reason. With coronavirus still prevalent, working out outdoors allows for more distance between you and your buds and more fresh air circulation. Plus, in a lot of places, gyms and fitness studios are either completely closed or only open in a limited capacity.

While working out in the great outdoors is an awesome alternative, it comes with its own obstacles. Exercising is already hot and sweaty inside, how can you survive taking it outside? And what if it rains? Read on for tips on beating the heat with your summer workouts!

Drink Plenty of Water

The hotter it is, the more you sweat. The more you sweat, the more you need to drink water. Staying hydrated to avoid feeling tired and dizzy, two common side effects of dehydration. Not a huge fan of H20? Try adding fruit, like watermelon or strawberries, or swapping out still for sparkling water. Coconut water is another good option, as it has natural electrolytes.

Wear Sunscreen

Whether you’re outside for 30 minutes or 3 hours, be sure you slap on some sunscreen. Be sure to reapply at least every 2 hours, and right after you swim or sweat.

Find Some Shade

Try to workout near some shade, like a tree, so you can escape the sun if you’re feeling overheated. If you plan to workout outside often, or if you live somewhere with unpredictable weather, you might want to invest in a canopy tent that can easily be put up in case there’s any light rain, or it’s 115 degrees and you need a sun break.

The Growing Importance of Workplace Wellness In Small Business

If you’re busy thinking of new ways to both attract top talent and keep your current employees happy and engaged, you’re not alone! According to the SunTrust Banks annual Business Pulse Survey, about half of small and mid-sized businesses felt that attracting and retaining employees would be their most significant challenge.

https://www.pilotonline.com/inside-business/article_40e27f38-31f5-11e8-a548-3b0adedf003f.html

Although recruiting and retaining employees is a challenge that all businesses face, it may be even more difficult for SMBs due to smaller budgets and fewer resources. If you’re looking for a quick solution or a good place to start, consider implementing a wellness program for your employees.

Wellness is a proven, effective tool for recruiting new talent. Plus an engaged, healthy, and happy workforce is likely to stick around longer. Improved recruiting and retention, as well as reduced health care costs and absenteeism, can impact small businesses in big ways.

When it comes to company culture, making the effort to improve the health and well-being of your employees won’t go unnoticed. Don’t let the size of your company or allotment of resources be a reason to fall behind the employee wellness trend. For more information about Elements’ Corporate Wellness Program, email us at [email protected]! 

Founder Andrea’s Tips for a Healthier You

Eating healthy, feeling strong, and fueling from the inside out is the quickest way to becoming the happiest and healthiest version of yourself! 

Check out Founder and CEO Andrea’s 3 tips for integrating healthy habits, exercises, and foods into your everyday!

Tip 1

Weights, Cardio, Protein, Power: 

How increasing these 4 powerhouses can optimize your training.

1. Weights: adding wrist or ankle weights to cardio activity increases the workload, meaning you’ll burn calories in a shorter amount of time. 

2. Cardio: cardio activity in conjunction with sculpting & toning exercises increases the metabolic rate, which helps the body burn calories more efficiently. 

3. Protein- increasing the intake of protein helps muscle function and builds strength. Protein powers the body to build and 3strengthen. You can find protein in powders, lean meat, tofu, and beans. 

4. Power- increasing the intensity of your work out STEADILY over time helps the body to gain greater overall health, rather than, for example, adding 50 lbs to your deadlift overnight, which can lead to injury and burnout. 

Tip 2: 

Ditch the stationary equipment:

Hit the mat & hit the floor.

I see a ton of clients with horrible hip and low back injuries from increased use of indoor stationary equipment. 

The body does not move perfectly parallel, however indoor cycle bikes, elliptical machines, and such have a property called sheer force, which holds the equipment in place, forcing the body to only work in one plane of motion. This causes pain and, over time, injury. It’s best to include cardio routines that use weight bearing, free moving exercises, allowing the body to move across all planes of motion with ease. Things like HIIT classes, dance classes, and barre classes are great options. 

If you do have an injury, consider rehabbing by focusing on mat pilates exercises to regain strength while allowing the injury to heal. It’s always best to consult a physician if you experience persistent pain or ongoing problems. 

Tip 3: 

Matcha & Bars:

Yummy energy boosters. 

I particularly like to add Matcha and healthy protein bars to my clients’ diets as it helps them curve cravings and boost the metabolism. Matcha is a natural source of energy and caffeine. Regular use in the diet can actually speed up the metabolism by helping the body burn calories faster and more efficiently. It can replace coffee altogether, and mixed with coconut milk is a great non-dairy latte option. 

In addition, RxBars are my new favorite grab and go snack, as they are power packed with lots of protein and help the body sustain energy for long periods of time. RxBars are a great supplement as you run from meeting to meeting and have no time for a full meal. This helps the body avoid high and low spikes in blood sugar, which can make you feel both jittery and sluggish. 

These are our top 5 tips to get fit and toned in a hurry at home!

1. Booty Booty Booty Rockin’ Everywhere:
Grab your red or green booty band, hit the mat, and throw your booty band around the thighs. Lay down on the mat with the legs in a parallel position and press the hips high, pulsing up and down, squeezing the glutes and the thighs. This exercise sculpts the booty and the legs.
Repeat 20 to 30 times (4 to 5 sets)

2. Sexy Shoulders:
Standing with the legs in parallel, holding 3 or 5 lb weights, pull the elbows into the waistline with the palms high, then press the arms out long at shoulder level and turn the palms down. This exercise sculpts the biceps, triceps and shoulders.
Repeat 10 times (2 to 3 sets)

3. Wickedly Sexy Waistline:
Holding the 3 or 5 lbs weights by your side with straight arms, bend side to side from the waistline, squeezing the obliques and the transverse abdominal wall. Try to reach the hands all the way down to the ankles. This exercise sculpts the core.
Repeat 20 times (2 to 3 sets)

4. Thigh Burner:
Placing the booty band around the thighs and standing with the legs parallel and slightly wider than the hips, bend the knees, taking the seat towards the back wall, drawing the arms high over the head. Pulse down one inch and up one inch. This exercise sculpts the thighs and booty.
Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds (4 to 5 sets)

5. 60 Second Plank:
While holding a forearm plank, do these three leg variations to ignite your core.

A. Alternating knee bends- hover your right knee just an inch off the ground, then switch to the left (20 seconds)

B. Hip Presses- press your hips high, like a downward dog, then bring them back to shoulder level (20 seconds)

C. Hip Twists- twist the hips from side to side trying to touch your hip to the mat (20 seconds)