Category: Other

December 17, 2012 Suzie

I love bringing fitness classes to the workplace. It’s a fantastic way to work exercise and ‘you’ time into your day. It’s super convenient, affordable and a LOT of fun!

Move and stretch your body, be motivated, break up your work day, save  your precious personal time by training at work.

For more information on corporate fitness click here 

If you have any questions about how you can bring fitness to your workplace please feel free to send an email via the contact page 

 

 

For some inspiration check out some of my photos from classes via my facebook page here

 

December 11, 2012 Suzie

A lot of you are not going to be happy with this post, I fear I may crush many people’s dreams with it.

So often I’ve heard people tell me they want a 6 pack, it’s one of the most common goals bar weight loss at the gym. The problem is that many will never achieve this goal. Sad but true.

It’s fantastic to have goals to work  towards. Some of you may achieve them easier than others (yes genes do have an impact on some people’s results) but it doesn’t mean give up, just understand that it may take a while!

Firstly let me explain the make up of the core region, it does not only consist of the washboard layer on top.

1. Transverse abdominis – your ‘inner unit’ a band-like muscle which wraps around your stomach through to your back. strengthening this part of the core will increase core strength, stability and have a drawing in effect (yay flat tummy!)

2. Internal & External obliques – these muscles are responsible for all your rotating movements. They run up and down from your ribcage to your pelvis and can be targeted with side exercises i.e side plank/bend

3. Rectus abdominis – your aesthetic part of your ‘6 pack’ region running from your ribs down to your pubic bone. It is the top layer of the core region.

4. Pelvic floor muscles – often overlooked as part of the core it is actually a very important part. a sling like group of muscles from the front of your pubis to the back, responsible for supporting your organs and continence.

Ok so by looking at that you’ll understand that there’s a lot more muscles to consider in the core area. All play a part if you want the 6 pack.

If this is the goal you’re chasing I would highly recommend you start working from the inside out. Figure out what activating your pelvic floor muscles feels like (see my article on pelvic floors) and start here. Then work your way to the transverse abdominis, I rate this as one of the most important set of muscles in the body, it is responsible for a lot more than you realise. You use it more often than you think, you couldn’t stand up without these muscles. They’re working all the time, while you stand, walk, squat, sit upright, bend, pick things up, push things, grab things – you use it all the time! By strengthening these muscles you are not only increasing your ability to do things with ease but you are also flattening your stomach.

Next comes the obliques finally followed by your rectus abdominis. It’s important to strengthen the whole core region, if you were to only work the top layer by doing crunches and sit ups etc. it will create a shortening effect and may affect your posture. Without working the inner core you may only be creating a balloon effect, where you do not flatten your stomach you simply harden what you’ve got and have a puffed out appearance.

Now that you understand the core and how it is made up and how it functions I need to tell you something… The 6 pack is incredibly hard to achieve and maintain. I’m sorry, here is the next blow… it pretty much comes down to diet.

Why? Imagine your body fat on your stomach like a backpack, you can strengthen and feel great but unless you take the back pack off you’re never going to see the muscles underneath.

Now don’t feel defeated, if it is a 6 pack that you want and you are determined to do it, then go for it! Here’s how:

1. Don’t just do core exercises, you are better off by doing big bang for your buck heavy exercises where the core is working hard i.e dead lift, chin up, push ups, than by doing a zillion crunches. These exercises are also condusive to weight loss as you are using more muscles, burning more fat and putting on lean muscle. From there you work on your core from the inside out, starting with the transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques and then finally the rectus abdominus. There are loads of core exercises that target these muscles, you want to focus on quality and in conjunction with bigger exercises.

2. Look at your nutrition. If you want a 6 pack depending on your size and weight and body composition you may need to lose a serious amount of body fat. Notice how I didn’t say weight?? You shouldn’t care about weight you should care about your body fat percentage. I’ve seen slim girls that are over 35% body fat. Good nutrition with structured exercise is key to dropping body fat and revealing your abs.

3. Seek help from a professional. Don’t waste time guessing, get expert advice on how to achieve your goals quickly and safely. It may cost you money but it will help you achieve your goals.

So there you have it. The core is such a cool group of muscles that work without you knowing a lot of the time. The look of a  firm set of abs isn’t bad either 😉 (thank you Ryan Reynolds!!)

 

If you have any questions or a topic you would like explored please send a quick email here

 

October 8, 2012 Suzie

I came, I saw, I tried (get it? TRI-athlon? lol)

After months of talking, planning and sometimes training the day had finally come. It was a sleepless night prior to the race as I tried to imagine how the day would pan out and most importantly would I be able to have a ‘nervous pee’ before the start.

As our awesome Team Reve got our transition area set up and pretty much guessing what we should do next, it was time to go to the pool for briefing. Our team was super nervous and apprehensive about what lay ahead, none of us had done a triathlon before and to be quite honest none of us really trained properly (yes I feel embarrassed admitting I didn’t train very hard or long!).

Sitting in the pool area listening to the briefing it occurred to me that I had forgotten how to dive into a pool, I couldn’t remember the last time i’d had to dive into a pool. It turned out I really couldn’t dive as I performed a beautifully awkward belly flop in the water, well hey at least I added comedic value for those behind me in the line, and the people in the stands, and the guy down the street who heard a big slap and wondered what it was… it was my stomach!

I likened the swim to what I imagine a ship wreck might feel like, a whole bunch of people tipped into the water and thrashing around trying to make their way to safety, in this case the finish line. A few scratches to my feet, few elbows in the side but all fun and games!

After the swim it was time to get on the bike and head off for the next stage of the journey, even though the cycling was one thing I did practise beforehand, nothing could prepare my bum and legs for the pain they felt. Turns out my seat was too low and the vibrations on the bricks didn’t help. When I stopped being concerned and started cruising and enjoying the cool breeze I mounted a curb, yep up I went. I saw a team mate and let go of the bike with one hand to wave my arm about in motivation, then up I went, ohwell I had a good laugh and i’m sure everyone around me had a giggle too.

Off the bike I came and into the final leg of the journey, the run. It was a rude shock to all of us that the run included hills…how rude. Great on the way down a hill, not so much on the way up. By this time a light rain had started and it was nice and refreshing.

Coming into the arena was the best feeling ever, as I came up the final stretch my jog turned into a run and I got slightly hyper, I saw people I knew on the side lines and slapped their hands and “woohooo-ed” like I was on top of the world. I then saw some more people and got even more hyper with my slaps and squeels; to be honest I wasn’t really aware who I was slapping, sorry if you weren’t related to me. Metres from the finish line I stopped turned around to my boyfriend and said “keep watching!” then I proceeded to cross the finish line in a side gallop Gangnam style. I’m not kidding. Others may have wondered why I did it or thought hmm what a fruit loop but what they didn’t know is that my boyfriend dared me $150 to do it. I’m not letting him forget it 😉

What will I do differently next time?

  • train, train then more training
  • have my bike properly set up for a super tall person like myself
  • learn how to dive into a pool (in my defense you had to dive at an angle)
  • keep both hands on the bike as I ride at all times

The overall effect on the body was great, the different stages added variety and challenged different parts of  the body. Even though it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, it has certainly given me new goals to work towards and how I can improve for next time. Yep next time. Before the race the general consensus of the group was “why are we doing this again?” to which I replied “it’s fun!” (I was totally lying I had no idea) and it turned out it was. After the race everyone was already talking about ‘next time’.

Competing with a group was the best experience, there was a sense of support as we all started together, wished good luck. The support continued as you saw each other along the way and felt like a boost of energy. Crossing the finish was the best feeling ever and was totally worth every minute of it.

A massive congratulations to my ladies in Team Reve, you all did such a fantastic job and should be super proud of yourselves. I still can’t stop smiling from how proud I was. I am already looking forward to racing with you next time! 🙂

Triathlon Pink raises funds for breast cancer research. For more information on Triathlon Pink click here

 

July 19, 2012 Suzie

Don’t let your skin suffer this winter, make it smooth as silk!

We know that winter naturally draws moisture from our skin so it’s up to us to combat dull dry skin

Do you know how important our skin is?

The skin is the largest most important eliminator organ in the body and is responsible for one quarter of the body’s detoxification each day.

The skin receives one third of all the blood circulated in the body.

The skin is the last to receive nutrients in the body, yet the first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency.

What will not only improve the health of our skin, detox us and make us glow? Body brushing and a good moisturiser is the answer!

Detoxification is performed by a number of organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the skin, gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes. The dry brushing technique deals with detoxification of the skin, stimulating the circulation and lymphatic flow and shedding dry skin cells.

When buying a body brush, look for brushes with coarse, short bristles made from natural fibres. They can be purchased from most supermarkets, pharmacies and health stores.

For best results, brush daily. A sluggish system can lead to toxin build-up and cellulite, but committing to daily body brushing pays dividends — body brushing can eliminate nearly 500g of toxins from the body a day!

Brush your body naked before showering. To really get the circulation going start brushing at the soles of your feet. Work your way up your body, don’t forget to brush your palms as well, using long sweeping strokes that extend towards your heart. Body brushing also helps prevent ingrown hairs, so pay attention to ingrown-prone areas like the bikini line, lower legs and the backs of the arms.

Make sure you keep your brush clean, it is important. For hygiene issues it’s important to have your own brush and not share it with others. And don’t hold onto it forever. Body brushes should be replaced once a year as they lose effectiveness as a result of softening and shedding. Keep your brush in a dry clean place and disinfect it once a week with a natural disinfecting spray.

After you are scrubbed moisturise your entire body with a light weight easily absorbed nutrient rich moisturiser. And voila, there you have it, soft, supple, healthy skin!

 

July 3, 2012 Suzie

How to overcome Winter training obstacles

We’ve identified the pros to training during winter and also looked at the cons. Let’s now help you overcome any obstacles you may be facing so you can achieve your goals.

 

TIPS FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES AND ACHIEVING AWESOME RESULTS!

 

  • Choose the right clothing – “there is no such thing as bad weather – just bad clothing choices”. Dress for the weather, layering is highly recommended. Try for 2 thin tops, with one being long sleeved and able to be taken off. Look for tops that use high-wicking materials, they take sweat away from your skin allowing you to stay warm without overheating. You may like to add fleece to start with, this will also be handy as you finish up your workout to keep you warm. A hat (beanie) may also be a good option for you as heat is lost through the head. Depending on the temperature and the type of exercise you are doing, gloves may also be appropriate and useful.
  • Change the tyres, on your feet – check your training shoes, just like tyres on a car or bike they get worn out through usage over time. You are more likely to slide on wet or icy surfaces and without good grip on your shoes you increase your risk of injury.
  • Alter goals seasonally – with shorter daylight it can be hard to stick to your original goals depending on what they are. Use the change in season as an opportunity to update your goals and making sure they are realistic and achievable. Work with what you’ve got.  For example, if you usually train after work, reduce the amount of time you exercise and/or workout in your lunch hour. You would be getting out in the sunshine and getting some of that essential Vitamin D from sun exposure, not to mention some fresh air. You could cut down the time but increase the frequency or the intensity of your workouts. There is always a way, sometimes you just need to think outside the box.
  • Boost that motivation – music can be an exceptional motivation tool. Music has the power to change your mood dramatically. It can make you sad, make you happy and seriously change your current state of mood from lazy to pumped and ready for anything.  Use the power of music to get you up on those dark cold mornings, or out of the house when it’s raining and miserable. Create your own power playlist to motivate yourself and take control.
  • Motivation is contagious – team up with a training buddy of a group for extra motivation. You will be more likely to attend workouts and work hard, you are being held accountable. Training with others adds a social dynamic and encourages a bit of healthy competition. Again why not take the training outdoors and soak up some of that vitamin D, you’ll be doing your body good and will feel better about the longer winter nights.
  • Keep it clean people – germs spread like wildfire in winter, you will notice in the office and especially if you have children. Whilst you can’t always prevent getting sick you can absolutely decrease your chances of getting sick and reduce the length of illness. Firstly let’s start with the most obvious and clichéd, washing your hands frequently. You come in to contact with lots of germs every day in the most common  and uncommon of places. Think doorknobs, keyboards, handles, petrol pumps, toilet doors, rails, buttons etc. Before you eat make sure you wash your hands and don’t touch your mouth or eyes etc. Quarantine the sickly, at the office try and steer clear of the Mr sniffles and Mrs outrageously loud cough/spluttering, if you can encourage them to go home, and if not, steer clear. Don’t share cups or utencils with others and definitely keep yours separate if you are sick so nobody else uses them. Use a tissue for sneezes and coughs, and have a bottle of hand sanitiser with you. These little bottles are pure genius when it comes to using public toilets and public transport in the germy season. Drink lots of water and eat a diet rich in highly nutritious foods to boost your immune system and keep your health in check. Get a good night’s sleep  and if you feel like you’re on the verge of getting sick, ease up and rest, increase vitamins and flush it out of your system

 

Now there’s really no excuse not to exercise during Winter is there 😉

 

 

June 27, 2012 Suzie

The obstacles to training during Winter

 

Let’s explore some of the most common obstacles experienced by exercise goers during winter.

  • Reduced daylight –  depending on what part of the world you live in, the length of daylight can be altered significantly. Lack of daylight and the ability to enjoy daylight during your day can lead to depression and Vitamin D deficiency.
  • Cold mornings – I will not lie to you, even I find it hard to get out of a warm bed on a cold early winter morning.
  • Lack of motivation – it’s not uncommon for goals to fall by the wayside at winter time. There’s no bikinis or summer outfits to drive you to looking your best. When it’s cold and conditions aren’t ideal it’s easy to choose the ‘easy’ option of opting out of training or eating healthy.
  • Comfort food – outside activities are often replaced with catch up dinners and socialising revolving around food and drinks. The type of food we eat as well tends to change to starchy warm, rich comforting food. Watching a DVD with popcorn and a block of chocolate anyone?
  • Dehydration/lack of moisture – the cold air actually deprives you of moisture, the extra layers worn whilst working out draw more sweat from body.  The cold weather also alters your thirst sensation to maintain core temperature, you are usually unaware you are dehydrated till it’s too late.
  • Redirection of blood flow – Cold weather draws blood towards the abdomen to raise core temperature. This can increase your risk of injury if the arms and legs aren’t prepared for strenuous work. To prepare them try performing longer and more gradual warm up, up to 15mins of cardio and mobility exercises. This prepares your arms and legs and all their joints for a hard workout and will reduce your risk of injury.
  • Increased risk of danger training outdoors – lack of light and wet, icy conditions can contribute to injuries. Be safe, know yoru environment. Do not train in the dark unless you have the proper equipment and check out your surfaces before you start to train. Reduce your risks, an injury is not worth it!
  • When outdoor training is not ideal – some conditions i.e heavy rain, snow, ice etc can make training outdoors or even participating in social /active events outside unappealing. When you are not a member of a gym or do your exercise purely outdoors (for e.g running, cycling, swimming) it can affect your training program and your motivation. Try thinking outside the box, look for fitness classes that are held indoors at community centres, workout DVDs may come in handy or even moving your workouts indoors – there are a lot of options and you can get just as good a workout indoors if you know what to do!
  • Illness – The germ infested months of the year. It’s not that cold weather by itself makes you sick, it can however lower your immunity and make you susceptible to picking up germs, infections etc. Illness can definitely be a set back to your training. Keep this in mind though, depending on what type of illness you have, exercise can actually help. If you catch a common cold right at the beginning, some gentle exercise can actually help your condition and lessen the severity and duration. However if you have a virus you must let your body rest and recover, pushing your body in such a state will only prolong the illness and delay recovery. Listen to your body it will tell you when you need to rest.

 

Don’t let these obstacles throw you off training in Winter, in our next post we will overcome these obstacles. The pros (although they appear fewer) are much more significant than the cons!

 

Stay connected with the Reve community via our facebook page 🙂

 

June 20, 2012 Suzie

Why training in Winter is fantastic!

 

The cooler months are by far the best for working out.

In a nutshell, if you want to look and feel your best for summer, the best time to start is in the winter months and the sooner the better. Often people make the mistake of waiting till the weather warms up to start their training program only to find that by the time they’re seeing awesome results the summer is nearly over.

If you truly want to look and feel your best, it’s time to start training now!

 

WINTER

Winter months vary in temperature depending on what country you reside in. In Australia we are fairly lucky with our winters, depending again on what part of the country you are in. We are prone to sunny clear blue skies with crisp air that make us question if it actually is winter or not. We do however experience the lows as well, bitterly cold winds, constant rain, shortened daylight and snow.

Training in winter can have a variety of obstacles, but on the flip side a lot of pros as well. Firstly let’s identify the pros:

 

THE PROS

  • Be summer ready – by far the best pro of all is being ‘summer ready’ before everyone else. Whilst everyone else will be realising they can’t hide under big bulky clothing anymore and wanting to fit into bikinis you my friend will already be parading around in your most desired summer outfit oozing confidence and pride in what you have achieved.
  • Winter is a good training climate – winter months are actually a good climate for some forms of exercise especially long slow aerobic distance training. Yes you may be cold to start with but as soon as you start exercising you will warm up and appreciate that the climate is not adding to your heightened body temperature. Running is the perfect example, think about a time you have gone for a run (or performed a workout) in hot humid conditions… it sucked right? Now compare that to when the conditions were cooler… there’s a reason you performed better in the cooler conditions.
  • Time out – again depending on what country you live in, in Australia our holiday season being Christmas and New Year coincide with summer. We love socialising in the long warm days and as a big generalisation our social events tend to quieten down in winter and we tend to hibernate.  If your winter season is quiet then you have more time to focus on you and use that time that might otherwise be tied up in family gatherings and holiday celebrations. It can be your time to set new goals and devote time in order to achieve them

 

In our next Winter series post we will identify the cons to training during Winter and offer you a range of tips and strategies to keep you feeling motivated, on track and achieve those results.

 

 

June 6, 2012 Suzie

The impact of stretching on the body is amazing. Who would think that moving your body into a position and holding it could have such a big impact. It  requires virtually no effort which sounds appealing right?

It is an expectation that all my clients include stretching when doing their programs. In fact I write it in their program books as a must and go through all stretches to make sure it’s drummed into them. Why? Because when you exercise your muscles contract and shorten, if you do not stretch out and lengthen those muscles then you are going to stiffen up and reduce your flexibility.

Why does that matter? When you have limited flexibility  it restricts movement patterns, think about squatting, getting up off the floor, sitting on the toilet, reaching your arms above your head, bending over to pick something up, walking properly… yep, all these things and many more are affected by your flexibility.

Want the good news? It is actually one of the easiest things to improve compared to fitness and strength! Consistency is key, by consistantly stretching you will notice a difference in your range of motion (ROM) your posture and freedom of movement. You can also improve it at any age, so no excuses for those in the upper range of the age scale.

Below I have included basic full body stretches. I recommend all of them but if you’re lacking time focus on the tigher areas. For a lot of people this usually includes the hamstrings/glutes/hip flexors and backs, especially for office workers. Ensure you stretch after every workout, always do your static stretches on warm muscles.

 

Stretches

To be done after every workout. Make sure you don’t stretch cold, do not bounce or drop into stretches, ease into them. Hold each stretch for 20-30seconds. Repeat 1-2 times.

 

Quadriceps  
•    In a standing position pick up your foot and bring it towards you bum
•    Keep knees close together, pelvis forward standing up straight
•    To target different sections change direction of foot to outside and towards the body

 

Calves
•    Soleus –  place half the length of one foot against a wall, then proceed to lean body forward with leg straight for desired intensity
•    Gastroc – hands on wall or rail, take big step back with one foot, keep back heel on floor and leg straight, step far enough away to feel a stretch down the lower half of your leg

 

Hip flexor
•    Kneeling down take big step forward with one foot, keep leg  at 90degree angle
•    Ease pelvis forward tucking the glute in, straight back, chest up
•    For more intensity rotate body toward knee with arms outstretched

 

Hamstrings
•    From hip floxor stretch position straighten front leg
•    Bend over easing bodyweight over the leg
•    You control intensity by how low you hover over the front leg

 

Glute Maximus
•    Lying down on your back
•    Bring one knee into your chest as far as you can
•    One hand continues to hug the knee the other holds the ankle, angling it in towards the chest
•    Play around with the angle until you feel a stretch right across the backside area

 

Piraformus
•    One leg bent, foot on flat on floor
•    Place opp ankle on knee
•    One hand holds ankle the other pushes the knee towards the ground

 

Lower back
•    Lying on your back legs bent, arms outstretched in line with shoulder
•    Take your knees and drop them over to one side
•    Turn your head and look the opposite way
•    Lengthen top leg and angle it until you feel a nice twist in your back

 

QL (quadratus lumborum, lower side of back)
•    Sitting on floor, one leg straight, other bent in foot resting against inner thigh
•    With opposite hand pick up knee and angle it towards the body
•    Other arm (knee side) forms a C shape  reaching over the body
•    Play around with angle until you can feel it in lower back region

 

Latissimus dorsi
•    Holding onto a rail with both hands, feet hip width apart
•    Lower  yourself back until you are almost in a squatting position, sit your weight in your hips
•    Play around with the angle until you feel it stretching and lengthening your back

 

Shoulders
•    Straighten one arm and cross your it over your chest straight
•    With opposite arm, fold up around arm pulling it away from the body

 

Chest (pec major + minor)
•    Stand next to a pole or corner of a wall, place arm 90degrees flat
•    Feet are slightly turned out
•    Proceed to rotate your body away from the wall until you feel a stretch along your chest

 

Triceps
•    take one arm up straight above head
•     fold at elbow down to reach back
•    With opposite hand pull elbow slightly to opposite side of body

 

Upper trapezeus
•    Stand with one arm straight palm flexed straight, other hand placed lightly on side of head
•    Gently pull head in opposite direction whilst lowering shoulder to towards the ground

To see photos for the above stretches, check out our static stretches section via the drop down exercise menu on our homepage

Share the flexi love by sharing this post using the share buttons below 🙂

 

May 9, 2012 Suzie

I think my boyfriend is famous in Korea. We’ll get to that in a minute.

Last Saturday my boyfriend and I went on an adventure day thanks to a great daily deal. We were part of a group of overseas tourists in our own country which I found interesting and an eye opener. I haven’t had Sydney explained to me like an overseas traveller and I did not know that Gosford is pretty much only famous for carpooling… i’m sure it must be known for something else??

I love observing people and when we were enjoying our dolphin watching cruise it seemed that other people liked observing us too. I couldn’t help but notice a group of middle aged Korean ladies at a table in front of us clad with the brightest tracksuits i’ve ever seen. After we’d been sitting a little while Mark says to me, “I think that lady is filming me” and it was in fact true, one of the Korean ladies was holding her camera in the direction of Mark with the red light on and staying very still, I could put this down to coincidence except the only camera worthy thing behind Mark was in fact a wall. We had a bit of a giggle and kept on chatting. The next thing we know one of the Korean women had got up, approached our table and sat down next to Mark without saying a word, feeling quite awkward I looked at her Mark looked at me and the rest of fluro tracksuit bunch were looking at us all… with cameras.

The little lady sitting next to Mark edged closer and closer to him and one of her friends had the camera ready to take a photo. Now this could have been a truly awkward moment (well it was anyway) but instead of questioning and backing away Mark with his ever so down to earth nature and charm put his arm around her to take the photo and this absolutely made her day. She squealed in delight and grabbed at Mark’s hand like he was a rock star, I couldn’t help but laugh. You could not wipe the smile off her face. Then she got up and went back to her friends and they all thought it was hilarious and wonderful. What had just happened??

The remarkable thing was that it was all done with no verbal communication. Mark was able to make someone’s day without saying a word.

Then our little friend returned about 30 minutes later with a packet of, well to be honest I still don’t know what they were, super fried crisp things with cinnamon. The Korean version of chips! She came up to our table and offered us some, we both politely took one and said thank you, then the lady grabbed Mark’s hand and tipped a sizeable amount in it. She had just made his day in return, he thought they tasted great. Again all done without any verbal communication at all.

So what had happened? Were we the target of some social experimentation? A joke maybe? Or is Mark truly famous in Korea? Either way it made  me have a think, it does not take a lot of effort to be nice to people. Something that is so mundane such as opening a door for someone, smiling at a stranger, letting someone with less items than you go ahead at the supermarket could make a huge impact.

Be nice and open minded to others, you never know you just might be making their day 😉

Final thought – I wonder if Mark ends up on Youtube or in a Korean tabloid magazine.

 

 

picture used courtesy of ellohollywood

April 30, 2012 Suzie

Would you rather look like a supermodel or an athlete?

I was in the magazine section of the shops the other day and I started flicking through the girly fashion mags and felt very bored. Now let me put into context, it seemed like page after page was filled with stick thin girls with vacant expressions. I couldn’t imagine liking let alone wearing any of the clothes they were wearing because they seemed so far removed from reality.

This isn’t a tirade against the fashion industry promoting sickly thin models, that topic has been done to death. Plus, what is normal? Have we become such an obese society that plus size is now the norm and should be promoted? I’ll steer away now before I get myself in trouble.

The thing about the magazines that got me is, what do we actually believe to be attractive? Is it what we think men want us to be or how we view ourselves and other women?

When I think attractive and sexy when it comes to women I think of someone like Jessica Biel, now there is one foxy lady! She works hard for her body and it shows. A body like that doesn’t just happen, she trains hard and I find that inspiring. When you look at her she screams health and fitness and looks pretty much capable of doing anything. So for more inspiration I have provided some more pics below.

Would you rather look like a skeleton covered in skin or a strong healthy woman?