Happy Friday PGX'ers!

We want to keep you motivated over this lovely May weekend!

We all have our up and down days. There are some days we just don't want to exercise or eat healthy, I know. But! That is what today is all about! I've found some fabulously inspirational quotes and links that are sure to help get you moving and loving that healthy lifestyle! All I can say now is: you can do it! Oh! Don't forget your daily fibre!

First, a few fitness links:

A Lower-Body Blast Workout to get strong, toned legs.

6 Moves for a Rock Solid Stomach

Women's Health Magazine has a Weekend Challenge, the Windmill!

This isn't a workout but a Honeydew Smoothie sounds like a delicious snack!

Check out these fabulous fitness trend posts from the past:

• The Victoria's Secret Workout
• PGX's Thursday Obsession: Biking
• Friday Fitness Trend: Jump Rope

And now, some motivation to get you moving!

Here's Why You Should Exercise (Even When You Don't Want To)...

Here's great slideshow with over 20 images of the ispirational kind: No Excuses! Mtivational Quotes to Get You Moving

A little something from Pinterest:

But, most importantly... Be Yourself. (Image by Jayme Marie Designs)

If you love and miss your Nutella, you are going to love today's recipe!

Enjoy this easy gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan and paleo recipe for a delicious chocolatey hazelnut spread!

How delicious does that look?! I know my mouth is watering for some already! I used to love eating Nutella and I would eat it by the spoon. I didn't even bother with toast (although it's completely delicious with toast!). But my Nutella-by-the-spoon days are quite over now. If I were to continue that particular habit, I'm 100% positive I would be struggling to pull on my jeans!

This recipe is a much healthier alternative to the usual, store bought version of the chocolate-hazelnut spread! There are no refined sugars or preservatives added and it's gluten free, vegan and paleo approved! Enjoy it with toast and sprinkle on some PGX for that fibre kick!

Thank you to Chelsy of Mangia for sharing this fabulous nut butter! Visit her page to see pictures for every step of the recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Nutella

Prep/Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2 cups

All of the things you love about Nutella, but homemade, and healthier with roasted hazelnuts, cacao powder, creamy hazelnut milk, and a touch of maple syrup for the perfect sweetness. Gluten-free/vegan/paleo/refined sugar-free.

Ingredients

• 2 c. unsalted, roasted hazelnuts, skins removed
• 4 T. raw cacao powder, or cocoa powder
• ¼ t. fine sea salt
• 1 t. pure vanilla extract
• ¼ c. pure Maple syrup
• ½ c. hazelnut milk (you can also use unsweetened, vanilla almond milk or another nut milk if preferred)

Instructions

• Place the hazelnuts in a large food processor and process on high until smooth, about 10 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and process on high until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes.
• Devour.

Image and recipe courtesy of Mangia.

Spring is here! Hop on your bike and take advantage of it!

Get your daily exercise on your way to work and put the pedal to the metal!

The sun is shining. The weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancingfeet. Well, Bob Marley had it mostly right. The sun is shining and it is sweet, but right now it makes me want to move my bike pedals!

One of my best friends used to bike to work all the time, rain or shine. Now that's impressive! But it is equally impressive to make the effort on the sunny days! If there is ever a perfect time to consider commuting by bicycle, spring and summer is the time to do it! It's National Bike Month in the USA and June is Canada's National Bike to Work month. To all our Canadian friends, let's get a pedal up on the trend and to all our American friends, May has just arrived and it's time to put the pedal to the metal!

Biking is fun and easy way to exercise and get all your muscles working and your heart pumping. It can also be a way to save money on parking, help the environment, and skip the the traffic and hectic roads! If you've never biked to work and find the very thought of it daunting, then ease it into your routine. Start going for bike rides and get your muscles used to the movement. Try doing other exercises like lunges, squats and the plank to make your leg and core muscle groups strong.

Increasing your fitness activities can never hurt! Learn about more useful exercises to help you get ready for this beautiful biking weather from Alive Magazine's Dust Off Your Wheels.

Image source: Edmonton Sun

Make exercise fun and become a big kid again!

Remember your monkey bar days? Exercise can be that fun, it's true...

Remember the days when you used cute, colourful plastic plates for your veggies and always had recess to run wild in the playground? I'd lying if I said I didn't miss them sometimes, especially in the middle of a workout! Back then, working out wasn't called "working out." It was just play time in the great outdoors! Now, exercise is all too often a series of boring, mind-numbing repetitions and staring blankly ahead at the next machine in your gym routine!

Well, maybe we can't completely lose the repetitions but the exercises can be more fun than the average push up! Jay Cardiello of Shape Magazine shares hi top five exercise moves that will have you feeling like a scampering young'un in 5 Exercises to Make You Feel Like a Kid Again!

Remember, fitness can be fun and if the whim hits you, grab a friend, go to the park and frolic like nobody's watching!

Image source: Think Choose Live

On your marks. Get set. Exercise!

Get in shape with the app that turns fitness into fun and games...

We've all got a competitive side right? Now there's a fitness app that appeals to our inner competitor (racer, fighter, Olympian?) and can help you stay motivated to workout! Fitocracy is an app that turns your exercise routines into games!

Fitness geeks and gurus, Brian Wang and Richard Talens, decided it was time to help people actually fall in love with fitness; not an easy task! With Fitocracy you can climb levels, earn points, and compete in quests and challenges, turning that routine workout into an addictive game world of health and exercise! A healthy habit addiction?! How very convenient!

So if you find yourself lacking in consistant motivation or just looking to stir the exercise pot, try this app and start competing with yourself and your friends. A little healthy competition can go a long way!

Image source: Fitocracy.com