Want to break a bad habit, like that 3 o'clock cookie?

Here's an interesting video from Charles Duhigg. Learn the power of habits and how to break the bad ones!

So, according to Charles Duhigg, it's possible to break a bad habit with a little bit of analyzing and of course, will power. But maybe, once you've analyzed the what and the why of a bad habit, you won't need as much will power to quash it!

If it's snacking habit you are trying to break, don't worry; you aren't alone. One way I avoid snacking on cookies regularly is to replace my cookie with something healthier like fruits. Fruit will give me the satisfaction of munching and sweet flavours. Or I try to drink more water. My weakness is the ginger molasses cookie from Starbucks. To help me get over that habit, I try to avoid Starbucks or when I'm there, I get something sweet and spicy like chai tea!

Everyone has their different ways to deal with habits. Charles Duhigg has another way of dealing with bad habits. If it worked for him (he was able to lose weight 12 pounds by kicking one bad habit!), it could work for you and me!

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Jump your way to fitness with this Friday's Fitness Trend, Kangoo!

These shoes are going to bring you to whole new fitness heights, literally...

I'm back with another installment in the PGX Friday Fitness Trend series and I'm bouncing in with a funny, intriguing, maybe even absolutely hilarious but looks-like-so-much-fun fitness trend in the form of Kangoo! So what is Kangoo and how does one do it? Well, it's all about the shoes!

Kangoo Jumps are bouncy rebound shoes that will have you, quite literally jumping higher than ever without impacting your joints! Three scientific studies have shown that with their patented Impact Protection System, these bouncy boots have the ability to reduce impact on the knees by up to 80%! If you suffer from a sports injury or the effects of one in the past, these shoes might be something to consider.

"Their impact reduction also significantly enhances the healing process after sport injures or surgery, relieves pain, and provides the opportunity to exercise in a way that will also alleviate some of the symptoms of diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, etc." More information (a lot more) and the scientific papers from these studies are available on the Kangoo Jumps Health page.

Without reading through the details of the many benefits of Kangoo Jumps, I think it's safe to assume that these shoes will give your muscles a decent workout. If you wear them running, you'll get cardio exercise combined with the core muscle engagement required to keep you balanced on spring loaded shoes!

If you're close to any Kangoo classes why not give it a try? If anything, it does look like a lot of good, laugh out loud, silly fun. That sounds like the best way to work out! Read about New York Times writer, Daniel Krieger's experience with Kangoo and enjoy this hopping video of Kangoo featuring NYC trainer, Mario Godiva.

Image source: iuliamusat.blogspot.ca

PGX wants you to live life to the fullest!

Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen! -Baz Luhrmann

Have you ever seen the video for Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann? It may be addressed to graduating students of the class of 1999 but its messages can hit home for anyone who lives and experiences the ups and downs of life. This Motivation Monday, take five minutes for yourself; listen or watch this video and you will feel inspired to live your life to the fullest!

Stay healthy and take care everyone! Have a fabulous week!

Looking for new fitness ideas? PGX is too!

Today we're checking out the celebrity favourite, the Tracy Anderson Method...

What do Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristin Davis, and Courtney Cox have in common (aside from acting)? Their fitness routine and today's Friday Fitness Trend, the Tracy Anderson Method. In her GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth Paltrow is all praises for this method, attributing her Iron Man figure to Tracy's videos. Tracy Anderson is a highly sought after trainer based in Los Angeles who has come up with a fun way to target muscles and tone without the bulk, incorporating aerobics, strength training and dance.

After some investgation into Tracy's latest regime, Metamorphosis, I have to say, I'm not a fan of the restrictive and extremely low calorie meal plan and don't recommend any form of crash dieting (I can't stress that enough). However, meal plan aside, I see how her exercises can be effective. Tracy Anderson claims that she can help you avoid bulking up by regularly changing your exercise routine. Whether this is how you avoid bulk or not, mixing up your fitness routine and keeping it fresh is definitely one of the best ways to keep your metabolism up and avoid those pesky plateaus!

So if you are looking for some new moves to mix up your routine workout, check out this video of Tracy's arm workout or this video of lower body exercises. Add some variety to your workout and you will definitely be taking another step closer to your goals. Keep on moving everyone!

Image source: Well and Good NYC

PGX Investigates Tabata Training...

Is it possible for a four minute workout to be effective?

The other day, my friend and I were talking about how difficult it can be to avoid "couch potato-hood" and make fitness a priority rather than something we forfeit to a busy schedules. That's when she mentioned the intense, amazingly short workout called Tabata Training.

Tabata is a high intensity interval training program that was first developed by Japanese scientist, Izumi Tabata and his fellow colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. Lasting for only four minutes (I know it seems too good to be true right?), this type of interval training has been shown to produce much better results than the average hour-long cardio session.

Studies have shown that high intensity interval training like Tabata produced as much muscular endurance as 45 minutes of normal cardio training in the subjects as well as substantial increases in anaerobic capacity and aerobic fitness. What is even more surprising about these results is that the test subjects were all athletes and already in excellent shape and still experienced these improvements in their fitness levels!

So what does a four minute workout look like? The typical tabata workout follows the formula of eight rounds of intense training for 20 second intervals of intense training followed by 10 seconds of rest. It may sound easy but some people swear it feels like the longest four minutes of their lives!

You can learn more about Tabata Training at tabatatraining.org and intervaltraining.net.

Want to see Tabata in action or try it out? Check out this video! If you've got four minutes today, skip the couch potato club and do a session of this super-powered cardio! Ready, set, go!

Image source: Georgia Magazine