Top 3 training tips by Alexa Towersey

 

September cover model and celebrity trainer Alexa Towersey shares her top training methods to burn fat and tone.

 

1. Resistance Training: 

Combine four compound exercises in one giant set:

 

8–10 x Barbell Back Squats

»8–10 x Barbell Bent-Over Rows

»8–10 x Deadlifts

»6–8 x Pull-ups 

»24 x Barbell Walking Lunges

TIP: Rest for 2 minutes between rounds and complete 3 to 5 rounds

2. HIIT Training: I like 400m sprint repeats the best.  Start with 5 to 7 and increase each week. 60 to 90 seconds rest between. 

TIP: Don’t do these on the same day as your weight training.

3. Tabata Protocols:  I like to use Tabata-style exercises as ‘finishers’ after a weight-training workout.  It’s essentially maximum reps of an exercise in 20 seconds followed by a 10-second rest and repeated for a total of eight rounds (4 minutes or 2:40 of actual work). 

TIP: My preferred variations include thruster, squat jumps, air assault bike, burpees, mountain climber or deadmill. 

 

 

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Wait, Did Ashley Graham Dye Her Hair Blonde?!

Ever since we heard that Ashley Graham will be hosting the revamped version of America’s Next Top Model, we haven’t stopped looking for behind-the-scenes snaps of her on social media. We honestly didn’t know what we were going to do when we heard Tyra was retiring from this series, but this has eased the news for sure.

And yes, Ashley, if you are reading this, we have been obsessively checking your Instagram feed several times a day for hair inspo (#sorrynotsorry).

So we couldn’t help but notice that something about Graham looked a tad different in the latest photos that she shared on Instagram. More specifically, her hair color.

OK, let’s take it from the beginning. This is her six days ago sporting her signature brunette locks styled in sexy waves on set of the show. Hair goals, we know.

And then here is Ashley yesterday and today…

She seemed to have dyed the ends and the hair underneath much lighter into a beautiful ombré. Of course, this may as well be blonde hair pieces that her hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons added to her brunette locks.

And speaking of which, check out her top bun and the purple lip she rocks in the second shot. Like we needed more evidence that Graham is the ultimate cool girl? We think not.

We’ll have to wait on even more photos to truly confirm this, but at least we know she looks damn good.

Never change, Ashley, never change.

 

This article originally appeared on InStyle.com/MIMI.

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Healthy raw vegie salad recipe

 

Looking for healthy lunch ideas? This raw vegie salad is such an easy and tasty way to introduce raw vegetables into your diet on a daily basis. 

Eating raw vegetables means that you're receiving the full nutrient potential of that vegetable, as nothing is lost through the cooking process. Needless to say, selecting seasonal organic produce is ideal for this, but don't be too worried about following the recipe to the letter – use anything you like from your crisper.

Ingredients

• ¼ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• ¼ small red cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large beetroot, julienned
• ½ zucchini, finely sliced
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• ½ granny smith apple, julienned
• 3 radishes, finely sliced
• 1 handful of snow peas, strings removed, sliced in half lengthways
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 1 pomegranate, cut in half
• Salt flakes and freshly ground peppe
• r4 tbsp birdseed mix (chia seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds or whatever you have in the pantry)
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped salted cashews

Lemon dressing

• 75 ml good-quality olive oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2 lemons
• Salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

Method

To make the lemon dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste.

Add the lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, zucchini, onion, apple, radish, snow peas and parsley to a large bowl. Add the lemon dressing to taste and, using your hands, carefully toss.

Hit the back of each pomegranate half with a wooden spoon so that the juicy seeds pop out onto the salad. Season and gently toss.

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle the seed mix and cashews over the top before serving.

This recipe originally appeared in nourish magazine.

Want more healthy lunch ideas? Try this pumpkin and feta chicken salad.

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Iskra Lawrence Photoshopped Her Image to Teach Us a Lesson

Photo: Getty Images

Once upon a time, photo editing was reserved only for the models and celebs gracing glossy magazine covers. Now? Anyone can digitally alter their appearance with a few taps of an app on their cellphone. Selfies aren’t really selfies anymore because it’s super easy to edit your appearance to make the photo look like anyone else but yourself. Model and body positive champion Iskra Lawrence set out to prove that things aren’t always as they seem on social media with side-by-side images of herself—one raw and the other retouched.

RELATED: It’s 2016 and Gigi Hadid Still Has to Shut Down Body Shamers

“Shocking it only took me about 10 minutes to Photoshop myself to ‘perfection.’ But WTF is perfect,” Lawrence asked on Instagram. Good question, Iskra

In the edited image, Lawrence slimmed her waist and arms, enhanced her chest, and noticeably smoothed the texture of her skin on her legs.

RELATED: Kat Von D Looks Totally Different Without Her Signature Black Hair

“I wanted to post the unretouched pic right next to the retouched one so you could see the impact of how a few edits all done on my phone can completely change the way someone looks,” writes Lawrence. “I can’t leave home everyday retouched and live in the ‘real world’ airbrushed, so why would I want to pretend to be online?”

Excellent point and food for thought the next time you’re thinking about using Facetune on your own image. Love the beautiful person you are now, not the unrealistic “perfect” version you’re convinced others want to see.

 

This article originally appeared on InStyle.com/MIMI.

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This 86-Year-Old ‘Iron Nun’ Is All The Fitspiration You’ll Ever Need

Photo: Nike/youTube

What’s the first thing you think when you hear the word “old?” For many, it probably conjures up a frail, gray-haired man or woman whose best fit years are long gone. But Madonna Buder is killing it still, even at 86.

A member of the non-canonical Sisters for Christian Community, the “Iron Nun” (as she’s been dubbed) has completed 40-plus Ironman triathlon competitions (each one entailing a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run), and is staring in Nike’s new “Unlimited Youth” commercial.

The spot is a part of the larger “Unlimited” campaign, which celebrates 2016 Rio Olympians and also encourages everyday athletes to have #limitlesspotential when it comes to their athletic goals.

The ad follows Buder through her daily prayers and kick-butt training. All the while, a narrator repeatedly doubts Buder’s fit choices and abilities—but he is quickly proven wrong. As Buder sprints toward the ocean at the start of an Ironman, cloaked in a black wetsuit and red swim cap and surrounded by a group of men and women who are clearly much younger, she yells to the voice-over, “The first 45 didn’t kill me!”

Talk about fitspiration! Here is a woman who didn’t even begin running until her late 40s. Now she regularly competes in one of the toughest feats of athleticism around. Did we mention that not only is Buder the oldest woman to ever complete an Ironman, but she also holds the record for fastest finishing time (16 hours and 32 minutes) for the 85 to 89 age group? #Boss!

But it hasn’t always been easy, Buder admits in a video interview on the Nike website. “There are a lot of times when I had to think about failures and not reaching the goal I may have set for myself,” she says. “But then I realized that the only failure is not to try, because your effort in itself is a success.”

Buder is living proof of Nike co-founder Bill Boweman’s old saying: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” She is inspiration for us all to get (and stay!) active, no matter our age.

Kudos, Nike, for using your platform to show the world that anything is possible.

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The Underneath We Are Women Photo Series Is a Body Positive Campaign You Can’t Miss

Kickstarter/Underneath I Am

Thanks to campaigns and movements from brands like Aerie and high profile celebs like Ashley Graham and Ariel Winter advocating for more body diversity in the media, the body positive movement has gained the attention it needs. And while we’re thankful that there are changes being made, there’s still a lot more to be done.

Now, Amy Herrmann, an Australian photographer, is taking things into her own hands with a photo series she plans to turn into a book showcasing different women of different body types posing in lingerie.

RELATED: Ashley Graham Celebrated National Lingerie Day with STUNNING #BodyPos Snaps

According to the project’s Kickstarter page, her goal is to share the stories that shaped them, “rather than succumbing to the fictitious default stories that have long been associated with various body types.”

She plans to photograph 100 women of different backgrounds and body types to demonstrate that everyone has their own relationship with their body, and also that there is a story beyond what’s at the surface.

“Society (us) have developed a myriad of stereotyped responses to certain body types,” Herrman writes on the project’s Kickstarter page. “That is, the fat girl who needs the gym. The skinny girl who needs to eat more. The disabled woman who needs sympathy. The beautiful girl that is always happy. But these are simply programmed responses created by us and for us to suit a greater societal ideal for what is deemed acceptable and ‘normal.'”

Each photo has an overlay that completes the “Underneath I Am…” phrase. For example, you’ll see “Underneath I Am Vibrant” and “Underneath I Am Fierce within the project.

Herrmann hopes to publish her book in May of next year and even wants to make it available in schools to inspire young girls.

 

This article originally appeared on InStyle.com/MIMI.

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Halle Berry Just Turned 50, Here’s How She Stays So Fit

Photo: Getty Images

It’s hard to believe that Halle Berry has spent five decades on this earth, but it is indeed true. And the flawless beauty ushered in the milestone year yesterday with an ah-mazing Instagram photo in which she is sporting a lace coverup that, um, doesn’t cover up much. Her caption: “With open arms I welcome 50…I’m so blessed to be here!”

After we picked our jaws up off the floor (and tossed that doughnut into the trash) we quickly realized that the Oscar-winning actress is not just our 50-year-old #fitgoals, she is our everyday #fitgoals—especially when it comes to that streamlined stomach of hers. Shall we just go ahead and say her abs are on fleek!

To help us mere morals stay on the get-better-with-age path like Berry, we have a killer core exercise from her trainer, Nat Bardonnet, who you may have seen doing high-five planks with the mom of two in an Insta post a few months ago. (Clearly that’s another one of the pair’s favorite middle-whittling moves.)

“Mission: Score Halle Berry’s Core” has officially begun…

The move: The Rocky. “It targets all of your abs—mid, low, and obliques—to lengthen your core, with beautiful definition,” says Bardonnet. Do 3 sets, performing as many reps as possible within a minute, 3 times a week to score a tighter core in about 5 weeks.

Photo: Getty Images

How to do it: Lie faceup on a bench, hands gripping it, with legs together and raised to 90 degrees so feet are toward ceiling. (No bench? Stretch out on the floor, anchoring yourself by holding on to a solid piece of furniture.) Use core strength to lift butt off the bench (A). Slowly lower it down, followed by legs, bringing to about a 30-degree angle (B). Keep lower back pressed firmly into the bench. Raise legs up, returning to start.

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5 equipment free exercises to tone your upper body

 

If you don't have access to a gym, there are many ways you can get your daily workout in. Start off with our list of ** upper body exercises. 

 

Clap push up

 

Choose your appropriate option for the clap push-up depending on your fitness and strength ability. These can be done on either your toes, knees or eliminate the clap altogether and just keep it a simple push-up. 

Start in a plank position and use your arms to lower your chest towards to floor – a nice deep push-up will get great results. Push your chest back up as you would with a normal push-up but with more force, springing off the ground for a clap. Land with soft elbows to prevent injury and do your next rep.

 

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Chair dip

Face away from the chair.

Place your hands behind you on the edge of the seat, shoulder-width apart. With your hands securely in place, step a foot or two away, and straighten your legs and keep heels in contact with the floor. Straighten your arms so that your body is lifted. This is your starting position.

Bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are 90 degrees, hold, and re-straighten back to the starting position. Repeat.

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Plank to palms 

Not only works your abs but targets your shoulders and triceps.

 

Get into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your toes and your forearms. Your arms are bent and directly below the shoulder.

Leading with one arm, push upwards while keeping your core on tight and have your other arm follow the lead.

Reverse the action with the leading arm to take you back to the starting plank position.

Repeat 5 reps with one leading arm before swapping to the opposite arm to lead.

Keep your body straight at all times.

Repeat this exercise for 5 reps (each side) and 3 sets. 

 

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Arm cincher & butt lifter

Not only tones arms but tones your butt and tightens your core

Begin in a high plank position, drawing a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Lift your left leg up as you lower your right knee to the ground. Next, perform a tricep push-up by kissing your elbows to your waistline.

Complete 10 reps as you keep your left leg up and lifted. Repeat on the other side.

Words: Katrina Hodgson and Karena Dawn

Photography: Ashley Streff.

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Triangle push-up

Begin the move by positioning hands on the mat directly under chest with fingers spread and thumbs and forefingers touching, making a triangle shape. Straighten legs in a plank position (harder) or knees on ground (easier). Make sure the back is flat and abs are engaged as you bend the elbows, lowering until your chin or chest touches the mat. At the bottom of the movement your elbows will naturally flare out to the side. Press back up to starting position while keeping a rigid torso through entire movement.

Check out these 14 exercises for toned arms. 

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The Internet Is Going Mad Over These Shower Jellies

Every once in a while the Internet completely loses it over a beauty product and we totally live for these moments. Remember the black bath bomb craze from earlier this summer? Or that time people were using household products to do their makeup? And of course, who could forget all the weird body contouring videos that we’ve all watched multiple times (admit it) because, whether or not you would actually attempt try butt contouring, watching someone else do it is mesmerizing.

Well, move over goth bath bombs, because there is a new viral beauty trend in town. People are posting videos of LUSH’s wobbly shower jellies and we are totally enthralled by them (both the videos and the jellies). These seaweed gel-based soaps have taken over people’s Instagram accounts and bathrooms. What’s LOL-worthy is that Lush actually has had the product for ten years, but it became an internet sensation only recently, when Nailed It posted a video of the jiggly soaps at the end of June.

RELATED: These Soap Stones Will Make Your Bathroom So Pretty

After less than two months, the clip has over 29 million views (you could attributed 1 million of those to us alone) and 360 thousand shares. The rest is (Internet) history as they say.

Aside from its wiggly qualities the soap has fruity extracts, essential oils and vitamin-rich juices, so it’s also good for your skin. Momma always said don’t play with your food, but she never said anything about not playing with your hygeine products. What else can we say—taking a shower just got a whole lot more fun.

 

This article originally appeared on InStyle.com/MIMI.

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Anne Hathaway: There Is ‘No Shame’ in Carrying Baby Weight

Photo: Getty Images

For new mothers, losing the weight they gained during pregnancy can feel like a race, especially when the media chronicles and celebrates the slim-down progress of celeb moms like Blake Lively and Kim Kardashian.

But Anne Hathaway, who gave birth to a baby boy in March, is over the ridiculous pressure to get back in a string bikini stat. On Tuesday, the Alice Through the Looking Glass star posted a photo on Instagram of a pair of jeans she had cut off at the knees. The caption: “There is no shame in gaining weight during pregnancy (or ever). There is no shame if it takes longer than you think it will to lose the weight (if you want to lose it at all). There is no shame in breaking down and making your own jean shorts because last summer’s are just too dang short for this summer’s thighs.”

RELATED: Kate Winslet on NOT Losing the Baby Weight: “I Want to Keep My Sanity”

This isn’t the first time Hathaway has spoken out about the crazy expectations for new moms. In an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show in May, she talked about her run-in with a trainer at the gym who made a comment about dropping “the baby weight” just weeks after the actress had given birth to her son, Jonathan. (Poised as ever, Hathaway informed him it was too soon to start worrying about the scale.)

While the trainer’s thoughtless remark caught Hathaway off guard, she told Ellen that motherhood has actually given her a sense of empowerment at the gym: “I walk in and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I work out with 5-pound weights, but I pushed a baby out of my body, I feel good right now!'”

Because that’s really what it’s all about—appreciating your body for the amazing things it can do, not how it looks at any one moment in time. Or as Hathaway put it so perfectly at the end of her Insta post, “Bodies change. Bodies grow. Bodies shrink. It’s all love (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)”

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