July Firework Jump Squat Challenge

July 1, 2016June 30, 2016Leave a comment

Get ready to jump, squat, and feel the burn! This month, we’re toning those glutes, thighs, and core while pushing our heart rate for some serious cardio endurance. To perform a jump squat, stand with legs shoulder-width apart, perform a regular squat, jump up in the air, and land back in a squat. Remember to engage your core for maximum benefits and land softly to avoid knee injury. Ready to go? Just save, print, or pin the image below and jump right into July!

One Healthy Breakdown: the ultimate exercise for firework results.

December Ground & Grow Challenge

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015

We’re growing our roots to get ready for the New Year. Tree pose (Vrksasana) is a classic yoga pose that grounds, lengthens, strengthens, opens hips, and encourages correct posture. The busy month of December is the perfect time to root down, ground ourselves, stay balanced, and foster growth into 2016. To perform tree pose, stand strongly and balanced on one leg, while bending the other knee so that your foot is resting on the ground, your standing ankle, or above your knee. Once balanced, place your hands in prayer position and then slowly move them to reach upwards to grow your branches. This month, you’ll be alternating between tree pose and chair pose to maximize grounding and growing. To perform chair pose, (Utkatasana) stand straight up, with weight evenly dispersed in both heels. As you inhale, reach arms up as you bend your knees and squat down, keeping knees and thighs together, as if you’re sitting in a chair. Keep arms and torso up at a slight angle and roll shoulders down. Stay in the pose at least 10-20 seconds to maximize benefits. Chair will not only ground you down, it will also fire up your glutes and thighs to burn some serious calories. Just print, pin, or save the calendar below and commit to grounding and growth all month long! Think of it as preparing your body and mind for what’s to come as the holiday season ramps up and we turn the corner into a fresh, new year of opportunities.

One Healthy Breakdown: ground yourself and grow your life simultaneously!

September Bridge Challenge

September 1, 2015August 31, 2015

It’s time to bridge into September. This new fitness challenge will work your glutes, lift your butt, engage your core, and strengthen your hamstrings with one simple move. To perform a bridge, lie on your back with hands by your side, palms up. Bend your knees with feet flat on the floor. Engage your glutes and push through your heels to lift hips straight off the floor. At the top of your bridge, glutes are highly engaged, but back is straight at an angle. Lower hips and repeat the movement. Get ’em done before you get out of bed, while you’re watching TV, or throughout the day. Just save, print, or pin the image below and take on the September challenge!

One Healthy Breakdown: bridge into fall with a nice bridge booty!

July Stars & Stripes Challenge!

July 1, 2015June 30, 2015

Happy July! Here’s the deal, people: It’s independence month and we’re celebrating with stars and stripes…which means, we’re working our abs…A LOT. Summer’s in full force and we’re keeping that beach body toned (you’re welcome!) To begin, lie flat on your back and lift your legs to a 45 degree angle, keeping them as straight as possible. To perform a “star,” draw an imaginary star in the air with your toes with your back on the floor and legs together. For a stripe, move toes horizontally from one side to the other, and back (counts as two.) You’ll be doing stars some days, stripes other days, and both for double trouble. Just save, print, or pin the image below and let the celebrations begin!

One Healthy Breakdown: work that core with stars and stripes galore!

March Madness – Lucky Lunges!

March 1, 2015February 28, 2015Leave a comment

Guess what…we’re lunging right thru March and stepping into spring! Here’s how to lunge: Stand up tall. Keeping your upper body straight, take a big step forward with one foot. Lower hips and bend front knee to a 90-degree angle. Repeat on the other side. Lunges work the entire leg and core, especially the glutes, hamstrings, and abdominals. Focus on these muscles when executing each lunge to maximize benefits. Some people like to place their hands on their hips and others like to hold them in front of them for balance. Commit today and print or pin the calendar below. Complete each set on BOTH legs (so, when it says 3 lunges, that’s three lunges each side for six total!)

One Healthy Breakdown: Happy March, let the madness begin!

December Holiday Kick-Off!

December 1, 2014December 3, 2014Leave a comment

Tis’ the season! We’re kicking off the holidays like a rockette this month; December’s fitness challenge is high kicks! That’s right, we’re spreading cheer in the air while we work our quads, hips, hamstrings, and heart! To kick, stand in a split stance with one leg slightly forward. Kick straight ahead with your back leg, keeping your upper body tall, centered, or leaning slightly back (not forward.) Repeat on the other side. Start LOW with just four kicks (two on each side) to prevent injury and work your way higher and higher as the month progresses. Just print or pin the calendar and get your kick on all December long! Enjoy this very merry month!

One Healthy Breakdown: nothin’ like a holiday high-kick to feel the burn!

March Wall Sit Challenge

March 1, 2014March 13, 2014Leave a comment

Mark your calendar! March is wall sit month, so wahoo get excited and get ready to tone that tush and those thighs! Wall sits are exactly as they sound. Lean back against a wall, knees bent at 90 degrees. And…hold. Engage your core for double results. Print, pin, or save this calendar and follow the times to work yourself up to two whole minutes! Wall sits are great to do as you watch TV, so no excuses because summer is coming!

One Healthy Breakdown: everyone has a wall nearby, get sitting!

HIIT The Slopes At-Home Ski Workout

February 3, 20141 Comment

HIITtheslopes One Healthy Breakdown: forget the layers, get your ski on in your living room!

Gyro what?! GYROKINESIS!

July 30, 2013July 31, 20131 Comment

When Michelle Weber invited me to take her GYROKINESIS class, I knew I was in for something a little different. Just how different, I had no idea. I walked up to Dance Hampton (15 Lumber Lane, East Hampton) to find an adorably decorated room with a happy vibe, stools, and mats on the floor. Stools? My curiosity grew.

You may remember Michelle Weber from the post about Pre and Post-Natal Training, which does incorporate some GYROKINESIS, but this class is for anyone looking to hone in to alignment and strength from deep within the core. Michelle explains that GYROKINESIS is a core-strength movement system that incorporates the benefits of yoga, tai chi, gymnastics, and dance. The class works in rhythmic circular and spiral movements to allow the entire body to stretch and strengthen through spinal movement, increasing flexibility, extension, coordination, stamina, and relaxation. At times, I felt it all.

As a pretty frequent exerciser, I learned a TON in this one hour. GYROKINESIS is like nothing I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a lot, as you know.) I had no idea that the body could move in such a way, that I could literally pinpoint certain areas and work them with such precision. It felt like I was honing into single muscle fibers, one at a time. How? You’ve got to experience it to believe it. Believe me.

GYROKINESIS is about intention; targeting specific muscles and muscle groups with exact movements, structure, rhythm, and focus, all while inhaling and exhaling purposefully. In the midst of each move, I felt as though I was tightening, lengthening, opening, and strengthening, all at the same time. It was quite a phenomenon, this feeling of muscles tensing together at the same time you’re working to pull them apart. The result? Muscles wrapping tightly around the bone to promote length.

In addition to physical precision, GYROKINESIS produced an immediate enhancement in mind-body awareness. My brain was hyper-focused, every direction from Michelle was crucial for proper form. The signals sent from brain to muscle, and vice versa, create intense connection. This is not really a workout you can zone out to, at least at the beginning, it takes constant concentration. This class produced a heightened awareness, one I can definitely see huge potential benefits in all areas of life.

One Healthy Breakdown: If you aim to work on alignment, mind-body connection, or just try something new and different, head over to Dance Hampton on Sunday at noon to try Michelle’s class before summer’s over!