What Music gets you pumping?

For me its my I-tunes Workout Playlist:
Agnelli & Nelson Feat. Aureas - Holding Onto Nothing 3:41 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 3



Alegria 5:23 Toño Rosario La Alegria del Merengue Latin 5


Amor como El Nuestro 4:52 Latin 5


Angel City Feat. Lara McAllen - Love Me Right (Oh Sheila) 3:34 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 4


Beautiful 4:59 Snoop Dogg The Best of Snoop Dogg Hip Hop/Rap 13


Benny Benassi Presents The Biz - Satisfaction 2:50 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 13


Bhangra Fever 4:56 MIDIval PunditZ Six Degrees 100 World 11


Boom Boom Pow 4:12 Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow - Single Pop 91


Breaking The Habit 3:16 Linkin Park Meteora General Alternative 76


Closer 3:54 Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman (Bonus Track Version) R&B/Soul 78


Dale Don Dale Remix 3:35 Don Omar & Fabolous Da Hit Man Presents... Reggaeton Latino Reggaeton y Hip-Hop 11


Dreamin' 4:12 Will to Power Will to Power Dance 3


Ella y Yo 4:27 Don Omar & Aventura Da Hit Man Presents... Reggaeton Latino Reggaeton y Hip-Hop 80


En Barranquilla Me Quedo 5:12 Joe Arroyo La Verdad de Joe Arroyo (El Original) iTunes Latino 14


Gasolina 3:13 Daddy Yankee Barrio Fino (Bonus Tracks) iTunes Latino 53


Glamorous 4:07 Fergie The Dutchess (Bonus Tracks Version) Pop 55


I Am 4:11 Chakra MOS - Clubbers Guide 2004 (CD1) Club 10


Ian Van Dahl - I Can't Let You Go 4:03 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 2


In da Club 3:13 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin' Hip Hop/Rap 18


Jurgen Vries Feat. Shena - Wilderness 4:01 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 3


La belle et le bad boy 3:12 MC Solaar La belle et le bad boy - Single Hip-Hop/Rap 50


La Tortura (Shaketon Remix) 3:12 Shakira & Alejandro Sanz Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 Pop 80 44


Let U Go (Club Mix Edit) 4:52 ATB Trance Girl Voices Trance 28


Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna) 5:39 T.I. Paper Trail (Deluxe Version) Hip Hop/Rap 34


Lloraras 4:33 Oscar D'Leon Oscar D'Leon en Vivo Latin 1


Lo Hecho Está Hecho 3:13 Shakira She Wolf (Deluxe Version) Pop 26


Lose Yourself 5:22 Eminem 8 Mile (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) Soundtrack 23


Love Inc. - You're a Superstar 4:13 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 1


Love Lockdown 4:30 Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak (Bonus Video Version) Hip-Hop/Rap 10


Mega Dance [Hard Trance Mix] 3:17 Atomic Rave Rave 2001 1


Mi Mama No Quiso 4:25 Latin 2


Michael Woods' Warrior Feat. Imogen Bailey - If You Want Me (Antillas Remix) 3:57 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock


Michael Woods' Warrior Feat. Imogen Bailey - If You Want Me (Antillas Remix) 3:57 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 1


Murder She Wrote 4:05 Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers: Ultimate Collection Reggae 52


One Mic 4:28 Nas Off the Hook Hip-Hop/Rap 38


Otra Como Tu 4:33 Toño Rosario Toño Rosario: Colecciones Y Exitos Latin 100 14


Plastic Boy Feat. Rozalla - Live Another Life 3:55 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 3


Rebelion 4:48 Joe Arroyo Grandes Exitos, Vol. 1 iTunes Latino 17


Salio el Sol 5:15 Don Omar King of Kings Reggaeton y Hip-Hop 24


Say It Right 3:43 Nelly Furtado Loose (iTunes Version) Pop 18


Soldier 5:26 Destiny's Child, Lil Wayne & T.I. Lose My Breath / Soldier R&B/Soul 100 18


The Sound of Goodbye 3:25 A. Van Buuren Pres. Perpetuous Trance Girl Voices Trance 8


Soy La Candela 3:44 Oscar D'Leon Latin 6


Steve Murano - Passion 3:42 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 3


Suavemente 4:27 Elvis Crespo Suavemente World 29


Sunday Afternoon 4:17 G & M Project MOS - Clubbers Guide 2004 (CD1) Club 4


Tomcraft - Brainwashed (Call You) 3:00 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock 1


Tomcraft - Loneliness 3:35 Ministry Of Sound The Annual 2004 - Disc 1 Rock


Tremble 3:30 Amber Electronic 4


Tremble 2 3:21 Amber Latin 3


Viva la Vida 4:01 Coldplay Viva la Vida Alternative 43


Yeah! 4:10 Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris Confessions (Special Edition) R&B/Soul 16

Just to name a few. I wouldn't be able to get through a full workout if it wasn't for these guys. They keep me rocking and running, sweating, pumping, and makeing sure my "hips that don't lie" become "slightly slimmer hips that don't lie":)
 
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My weight goals for this year have been up and down. I continue to hover around 35lb to 36lbs total weight loss since last January of 2009. Ive noticed that albeit I haven't been as consistent with my cardio workouts due to lots and lots of  new work projects and activities these past few weeks, I have been able to keep up my power walking and ocassional zumba and my clothes continue to feel looser and look better. Ive also been strict about my calorie consumption and water intake, not to mention my green juices.
 
My goal is that by June 15th - this healthy hottie will be 10lbs healthier:)  Will make sure I keep consistent on this blog to keep me accountable as well.
 
How about you guys, please comment and share how your doing with your health goals. Its motivating to hear from others!
 
xoxo
 
The HH

Work it Girl!

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2003

See that picture there, that is me on the right hand-side in black, I was proudly wearing a (modest by most Carioca  standards :) bikini while on the Ipanema beach of Brazil. I think I look pretty good in it, I know I felt good while wearing it - consequently, this is my goal weight.


In that picture I was a  misses size 12. Being 5'7 and of large bones, a size 12 for me is ideal beleive it or not. I am currently wearing a misses size 14 in most clothes (give or take a few jeans that run small),  which means I am about 15lbs away from my goal weight. I decided to post this picture as motivation and an incentive to keep myself accountable.

EXERCISE
I also  wanted to take a little time to discuss one of the most important components of achieving and maintaining a healthy life-style - side from the fundamentals of proper nutrition and portion control - there is no substitute for the vital role Exercise plays in our lives. Not only does excercise help us burn calories, lose fat, gain muscle, reduce triglycerides, improve circulation, help our sleep patterns and aid in longevity of life, but it is also essential in keeping us mentally and emotionally sane:) Everytime you push your body hard enough to break a continuous sweat and keep that pattern for at least 30 minutes a day - you have released very important feel-good chemicals in the brain called - Endorphins.  A little blurb from Wikipedia, gives us a good synopsis on these: 

"  Endorphins are endogenous opioid polypeptide compounds. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise...and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being. Endorphins work as "natural pain relievers." 

So basically, every time your workout you are self-medicating with a very legal, very positive natural "drug" that is released into the brain and leaves you feeling incredibly good. A natural high of sorts.  Like any "high", the effects eventually wear off after a few hours but it provides just enough of a dosage to keep you energized and happy the rest of the day!

How's that for a reason to exercise?

The good news is that I have ALWAYS enjoyed a good cardio workout. Throughout my lifetime I have tried them all. I spent many years following the Taebo/Kickboxing Craze with Billy Blanks and loved the results I was seeing, that workout whipped me into an incredible shape. Unfortunately, it also whipped my knees into a bad state; apparently all those high kicks and roundhouses were too intense for my delicate meniscus.

I also have tried and thoroughly enjoyed Spinning, I enjoyed the amazing spinning effects for more than a year, I saw what it did for my legs and gluteus maximus. Firm and not Flabby was the result:)

I have also continued to enjoy the effects of good, old-fashioned power walking. There is something incredibly beneficial of exercising outdoors and allowing your body to take in fresh (or not so fresh depending where you live. ha!) doses of O2 while your burning calories. While living abroad on a mission to the DR I lost 40lbs just by walking. Never underestimate its power.

Currently, I alternate between the elliptical machine and zumba, with power walking, bicycle riding and Latin dancing mixed in whenever possible. The elliptical is a god-sent for those of us who may have sensitive knees and can't handle the impact of the treadmill or running outdoors. The trick with really working up a good sweat and burning calories with the elliptical is the resistance and settings. I always set my machine to "manual" mode, which is best for you to control your workout. To warm-up I start with the resistance at level 10 (which by most standards is considered in the medium to high range) I then continue to higher the resistance throughout the workout until I get to level 17 all while maintaining a rather fast pace (from 6.0 to 12.0), this I do for 40 to 60 minutes a day. The calories burned (via a heart-rate monitor which is the most accurate) doing this method is up to 850 calories a session. Last year I lost the 30lbs mainly using the elliptical as my top  choice for cardio exercise. I highly recommend it!

More recently I have decided to try new cardio workouts to mix it up, keep things interesting and shock my body into burning calories in different ways. Zumba has been the answer, this fast-paced, super fun Latin dance workout has you sweating bullets from the moment you start merengueando! Here is a YouTube video showing how incredibly fun this workout is:



For those of you that love to dance like me you even forget your burning up to 600 calories a session!:)


So there you have it. A recap of my exercise history. What about you? What are your favorite cardio workouts and why?

In a future post I will discuss the other essential exercise component - weight lifting - and my love/hate relationship with it:)

xoxo

The Healthy Hottie