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Get Your Morning Energy Boost!

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PGX wants you to start your day with energy!

Not a morning person? Here are 5 easy tips to give you a blast of energy!

I am not a morning person. Plain and simple. I love the quiet of the morning and the idea of waking early to watch the sunrise, but when it comes right down to actually waking up and getting out of bed, I am not a morning person. I do not just naturally wake up at 6 am, and if I do? I promptly go back to dream land.

So what can we night owls, and anyone else feeling sluggish in the morning, do to get that much needed energy boost?

Here are five fabulous tips from Real Simple to wake us up in the morning!

    • Enjoy a pop of colour! Bright colours like yellow and orange are known to have invigorating effects on your mood and can give you that shot of energy. So be bold and don that bright yellow raincoat or use those fuzzy orange towels!
    • Let in the natural light! When you wake up, resist the urge to keep your room dark. Throw back the curtains, open the window and blink in the light! Enjoy breakfast outside. Dr. Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D. says, ?If you can go outside within 15 minutes of waking for 20 minutes and face east, even on a cloudy day, you?ll get enough light to energize yourself for the day.?
    • Need a morning shower to wake up? End it with a blast of cold water! That will definitely wake you up!
    • Laugh! Laugh and laugh some more! Laughter can give you the recharging benefits of a good workout, help reduce stress and help boost immunity. So turn on your favourite morning sitcom because a little laughter goes a long way…
    • Dab on some jasmine-infused scent. According to neolorologist Alan Hirsch, jasmine helps increase beta-waves which make you more alert.

Looking for more ideas that will keep you energized throughout the day without the unhealthy energy drinks? You can find more great energy boosting tips in the Real Simple article, 25 Easy Instant Energy Boosters by Eleni Gage.

 

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Friday Fitness Trend: Bikram Yoga

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Thinking about yoga? Let’s think about Bikram Yoga!

If you love the heat, this might just be the yoga for you…

Ahh yoga! I’m sure you’re familiar with all the possible benefits of practising it regularly: stretching and muscle toning, weight loss and increased stamina, mental clarity, inner peace…general overall health and well being. All of these thoughts went through my head when I decided to try hot yoga, specifically, Bikram yoga.

Founded by Bikram Choudhury, Bikram yoga consists of a sequence of 26 poses, or asanas, practised in a room heated to 105 Fahrenheit and 25% humidity for a 90-minute session.

I’m no yoga expert. In fact, I am absolutely a beginner, and I jumped right into a heated room for Bikram yoga! It was a hot and stuffy experience. It did feel good afterward but I don’t know if that was from the yoga itself or the fabulous rush of cold air when I left the room!

My conclusion: Bikram yoga will not be for everyone. Although I didn’t come out of that first class a big fan, there are many who love and swear by it. Bikram Choudhury himself was able to overcome the setbacks of a serious knee injury through his hot yoga method.

If you are thinking of trying a class, make sure to read the details first and drink plenty of water! Learn more about Bikram yoga and the benefits of heat.

 

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Tasty Tuesday: PGX Coconut Blast Shake

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Another fabulous (and easy!) PGX SatisFast shake recipe from nutritionist, Kristin Metvedt, RHN.

Made with PGX SatisFast’s delicious French Vanilla flavour and coconut water, try this new shake recipe from Kristin Metvedt! Nutritional sidenote: Coconut water from young coconuts provides minerals and electrolytes that provide valuable nutrition, so this smoothie is both yummy and healthy!

Ingredients:

  • 240 ml  100% pure coconut water (e.g. O.N.E. Coconut Water or Blue Monkey Pure coconut water)
  • 60 ml cold water
  • 1 scoop PGX Satisfast French Vanilla
  • Option: 2 ice cubes

Method:

  1. Measure liquids into a shaker or blender cup.
  2. Add 1 scoop of PGX Satisfast Very Vanilla. If using a blender, add 1-2 ice cubes if desired.
  3. Shake or blend until smooth.
  4. Drink an additional glass of water (375-500 ml) after taking PGX.

Nutritional Information:

Each serving contains: 146 calories; 1 g fat; 23 g carb (2g fibre, sugar 11 g); 10 g protein; 220 mg sodium; 330 mg potassium.

Have questions for Kristin about the smoothie? Or a nutrition question? Ask her here!

Enjoy!

 

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PGX’s Thursday Obsession: Biking

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We’re getting inspired by Olympic cycling!

Read on to discover 7 reasons why you should start biking!

It’s Thursday and I have a Thursday obsession to share with you: biking. Now, I don’t actually bike myself (yet), so what could I possibly talk to you about biking you wonder?

With the Olympic competition heating up, I’m starting to feel more inspired to ‘up’ my sporting activities. The cycling events are popular with my family (we have cyclists among us) and that got the “time-to-get-inspired-to-exercise-and-maybe-try-biking” wheels in motion. I’ve gone biking before but never with physical fitness as the end goal. As a kid, it was a fun thing to do with my neighbourhood friends. Then biking became a once in a while trip to the dike by the Fraser River, or one of my out of shape attempts to keep up with my friend as we cycled up and down the hills of the city!

Yes, clearly biking has been low on my radar of fitness regimes for quite some time. But just as I started to watch the Olympics and contemplate the idea of biking for exercise, an article from Women’s Health appeared on my internet browser: 7 Reasons to Start Bike Riding.

If you’re like me and need extra motivation to start biking (or a sign from universe that you should give it a go), read these seven reasons and you’ll soon find yourself pumping air into the tires and peddling around in an eco-friendly, healthy way: on your bicycle!

 

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Motivating Your Monday!

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Yet another week has rolled around and PGX wants to help motivate your Monday.

Before you let those Monday blues get to you, check out this week’s Monday Motivation!

Even with the longer days of summer, many of us (myself included!) are wondering where the hours in each day scurry off to. There never seem to be enough hours in a day to sneak in that workout, make that healthy recipe you’ve been wanting to try, or get out to those hiking trails with your friends after office hours.

Which led me to wonder, how would you spend your days, if there was no midnight? Would you get to the gym every day? Would you make that healthier dinner that takes a little bit longer to prepare?

So, here’s a little inspirational wisdom from Cinderella: go after your dreams, whether they’re work related, health related or weight related and “Live like there’s no midnight”!

Don’t let the hours in the day determine your lifestyle! Stay healthy PGX’ers and happy Motivation Monday!

 

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Friday Fitness Trend: Ugi Fit

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Today’s PGX Friday Fitness Trend is: Ugi Fitness!

Need to workout but don’t have time? This is the fitness trend for you…

Pronounced “you-gee,” Vancouver-based trainer, Sara Shears developed a workout formula that combines strength, cardio and core training into a sequence of 30 exercises. It’s a short, rigourous workout of different exercises performed in one minute intervals that, combined with balanced eating and your daily fiber, can produce amazing results.

A 30 minute workout with only one piece of equipment? Sign me up!

And that’s what Ugi Fit is: a 30 minute workout with only one piece of equipment and it’s making waves in the fitness communities.

So what is this essential piece of equipment? The Ugi ball. Sara Shears and her design partner, Melanie Finkelman, designed this squishy non-intimidating ball that you can stand on, kneel on, sit on, plank on, toss to a friend, or even use as a weight. It’s got the squish of a beanbag and the resistance and bounce-back of a stress ball all in one simple design.

One of the positive features of this fitness trend is that you aren’t limited to working out in a gym or in your living room. Only 15 inches in diameter, the Ugi ball is easy to store or to bring to an outdoor workout at the beach! Not only is the location of this workout flexible, the length and frequency is just as easy to adjust to your busy schedule. Got only 15 minutes? Cut down the intervals to 30 seconds each. Maybe you prefer a longer workout only hree times a week. You can turn your Ugi Fit workout into an hour by repeating your sequence of exercises.

Why Ugi? Because it’s time to be you. “Ugi. U got it. Show it off.” Visit the Ugi Fit website to learn more.

Remember everyone: eat healthy, get your fiber, stay fit and do it all for you.

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The Benefits of Drinking Tea

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Can tea help you be healthy? Yes!

So pour yourself a cup and read on to learn the possible benefits of drinking tea…

Whenever you are in desperate need of energy and looking to stay awake, what do you reach for: coffee or tea? For me, it’s both. I love coffee but I’ve never been one to brew an excellent cup of coffee; so unless I’m willing to spend three dollars on a latte or have the time to sip an espresso, I reach for tea.

Did you know that tea can do more than just warm us up on a chilly day? Tea, especially green tea is full of antioxidant polyphenols called catechins. These catechins are what scientists and researchers have linked to anti-cancer activity. I’m not saying tea can cure but if the antioxidants in tea can help fight free radicals then why not give it a swig?!

Many people also say that tea can help with weightloss. Whether that is true or not I think the simple act of replacing fatty snacks with tea can definitely help that particular statement to be true!

Want to know more about how tea can help us on the road to lasting health? Check out Huffington Post’s, Tea Health Benefits: 8 Ways It Could Benefit Our Bodies and Time’s 13 Reasons Tea is Good for You.

I’m off to give my tea bag his great moment of glory and brew a mug of chai (made from black tea, which is supposedly good for the lungs and reduce the risk of stroke).

 

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Weight-Wise Wednesday: Olympic Inspiration

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A tasty new recipe for you to try from the other side of the world; inspiration provided by the Olmpics!

For this week?s Weight-Wise Wednesday post, I set out to write about out how to eat like an Olympian. However, in my search across the net, I stumbled upon this truly unique and fun blog, Eat The Olympics. Having no idea how one might ?eat the Olympics? I decided to check it out ? and boy was I happy I did!

What I found was a blog full of recipes. But not just any recipes ? these were recipes from all over the world. In fact, the writers of the blog, two Londoners, have set out to make a dish from all 204 countries that are currently participating in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Quite a challenge!

The blog is filled with beautiful pictures of each dish they?ve made, along with the recipe of the dish and country that it’s from. Each recipe is even given a rating on a scale of Bronze to Gold (or in some rare cases Disqualification).

One of the healthier choices I came across is a dish from Lesotho, an African country located within South Africa, called Lesothan Chakalaka. Made with delicious veggies, such as peppers, tomatoes and chillies, and served over rice, this dish is definitely on my To Try list!

You can find the full recipe here! Give it a try and let us know what you think! And, remember, don?t forget to add in your PGX!

 

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Friday Fitness Trend: the Tracy Anderson Method

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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!

 

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Friday Fitness Trend: Kangoo

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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.

 

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