Masque Magazine

Buttery fresh popcorn and movie nachos.

Back yard cookout burgers and hot dogs.

Cotton candy and funnel cake at theme parks.

And we can not forget soft served ice cream sundaes from the famous Mister Softee truck.

Ahhhh, the delectable joys of summer. Sure we enjoy most of these foods during any other season of the year but not in this abundance.  If you have control on your snack and fatty food intake, KUDOS! However, if this is making you realize that your waistline is slowly expanding, fear not! David Barton is here with a free ride!

With three locations in NYC (Astor Place, W23rd Street, and E85th Street), David Barton Gym is inviting first time visitors to sign up today and not pay for ANYTHING for the rest of the summer. Consider your gym tab being taken care of by DB himself. This offer is for local residents of NYC and it ends on July 31st. What do you have to lose, but a couple of inches and pounds?

Sign up for this exclusive special at David Barton and kiss the extra summer 2010 weight good-bye

Not everyone can afford the time to hit the gym. You get home from work and you’re usually tired and just want to plop into bed. So, we’re giving you some tips to try to squeeze some of your work out into your 9 to 5. 

• Find a few sturdy, thick phonebooks and do some step aerobics.
• Take two steps back from your desk and lean forward until you’re at an angled push-up position against the edge of your desk. Do a couple quick sets.
• Lift 1-3 packs of printer paper in each hand. Curl them like weights or lift them over your head.
• Jumping jacks. Simple, quick and pumps you up.
• Squeeze a stress ball. Relieves stress while strengthening forearms and wrists for typing.
• Forget the boardroom. Hold walking meetings.
• Hand-deliver mail, memos and faxes.
• Chat face-to-face instead of by e-mail or phone.
• Use a bathroom on the other side of the building or another floor.
• Have a lot of phone time? Buy a cordless and move around while talking.

Just a few suggestions to get you up and going without having to bust a move to the gym…

Source: Spark People

You can reference this heart rate chart for your workouts!

Came across some exercise tips on the intensity of work outs. I go HARD. Too hard according to this. I try to keep my heart rate at about 170 because i noted on the treadmills in the gym that 145-150 and up is considered athletic conditioning for people around my age. (21-25 ish)

There are a number of ways to determine whether you’re working out at an intensity level that’s good for you.

You can check your heart rate. You can use the “talking test” (being able to converse while exercising). Or, even easier, you can assess your exercise intensity on a scale of 1 to 10.

When you use this method – known as the rate of perceived exertion, or RPE – you evaluate your activity level continuously throughout your workout, using a scale like this one:

• 1-2: weak exertion
• 3: moderate
• 4-6: increasingly strong
• 7-9: very strong, vigorous
• 10: maximal; extremely strong

The RPE method can help ensure that you are exercising at a comfortable level. For most people, the recommended RPE range is between 3 and 5.

Lord knows its hard to eat healthy. Here are 8 tips to stick to a healthy regimen.

1. Drink plenty of water each day
2. Eat plenty of vegetables
3. Avoid deep fried food, Trans fats, partially hydrogenated oil and hydrogenated oil
4. Avoid refined sugar
5. Avoid refined carbohydrates
6. Avoid chemical additives
7. Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly
8. Never skip meals

check out this article at ShapeFit for the rhyme and reason behind these tips!

6 Steps to Fab Abs

1: Develop The RIGHT Attitude First
2: Nutrition ‘You MUST Eat CLEAN If You Want To Develop LEAN ABS!
3: Increase Your Fish Oil Supplementation
4: DON’T Drink Your Calories
5: Train Metabolically, Not Aerobically
6: Use Athletic Abdominal Exercises and Routines For Better ABS

According to ShapeFit read below the jump for more details on each step

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Aside from (the majority of) the nation’s love affair with the Obamas, ladies round the globe are really into Michelle’s style.  Since the campaign trail, fashion seekers have been playing close attention to the now First Lady’s wardrobe.  However, her clothes are not the only thing being coveted.  Mrs. Obama’s defined, yet lady, arms are something many women have been trying to achieve themselves especially in lue of the oncoming summer season.  Thanks to NY1 coverage,Kacy Duke, trainer to the stars, gives tips on how to get the “Michelle Obama” arms.

Exercise Your Way To Michelle Obama Arms
Kacy Duke shares a series of simple, yet effective arm exercises using three-, five- and eight-pound dumbbells.
Push, Pull, Kickback
 1. Assume a squat position with your legs bent about 45 degrees. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand, arms bent so the weights are positioned just in front of your chest, palms facing each other
2. Extend your arms straight out in front of you, pushing the weights forward.
3. Then bend your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and pull the weights back to either side of your chest.
4. Finally straighten your arms out behind you. Do three sets of 8-12 reps.
You’ll Feel It: In your chest, back, shoulders and triceps. You’ll also get a bonus burn in your thighs and booty from performing this exercise in squat position.
The Body-Love Benefit: As you develop and harness the raw power in your chest and back, you won’t need help hauling home your latest flea market finds, and you’ll carry yourself with more confidence.
Kacy’s Coaching Tips: It’s a good idea to try this one without any weights to start. Engage your chest, back and triceps the full range of motion. That way when you do add weight, you’ll be sure to engage all the right muscles to do the work.

Open With Strength
 1. Stand in the power position, arms by your sides feet close together, knees slightly bent. Holding dumbbells, lift your arms straight out to the sides so your body forms a T, palms facing down.
2. Keeping your arms extended, rotate your palms front, so the ends of the weights are towards the floor. Squeeze both arms together until their straight out in front of you.
3. Return to the starting position, and immediately repeat the move. Do three sets of 8-12 reps.
You’ll Feel It: In your shoulders and chest.
The Body-Love Benefit: This move builds your upper body, giving you a sexy, formidable presence no one will be able to ignore.
Kacy’s Coaching Tips: Light weights are the way to go here. Even 8-pound dumbbells can feel like 30 pounds when you hold them out to your sides for more than a few seconds. You want to strengthen, not strain, your shoulders.

Double Bicep Curls
 1. Stand in the power position with your feet close together, knees soft. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out.
2. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, bend your arms so your forearms are extended straight out in front of your body at waist height, palms facing up.
3. Squeeze your biceps and lift the weights up to your shoulders.
4. Lower back to the starting position and immediately rotate your arms out to your sides; curl the weights back up to the outsides of your shoulders.
5. Continue alternating a for a full set. Do three sets of 8-12 reps.

You’ll Feel It: Through your entire biceps and into your shoulders.
The Body-Love Benefit: This move etches a pretty line between your biceps and your shoulders. But more important, it builds endurance in your arms so you can cradle small children and hold on tight to the ones you love.
Kacy’s Coaching Tips: Pretend your elbows are krazy-glued to your side so you completely isolate your biceps. Don’t “assist” with the move by hoisting your torso backward as you lift. Keep the rest of your body still as a statue but completely relaxed.

Working out can help reduce breast cancer.

fact. not fiction.

Regular exercise may help older women significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer. In a recently published study of 62,000 women between ages 55 and 69, women who biked or walked for an hour each day cut their breast cancer risk by 19 percent. The vast majority of breast cancer cases – 75 percent – occur in postmenopausal women. Regular exercise has many additional benefits, of course. One of the most significant: a reduced risk of heart disease, which affects even more women than breast cancer does.

Keep in mind ladies that the purpose of working out is not only to look good for the summer , but to aslo improve your mood, your health, and reduce significant amounts of risk factors for numerous illnesses.  So if getting rid of your gut isnt motivation enough, try thinking of a long healthy life as a reason to kick start a healthy habit in the gym.

Working out – Healthier in more ways than one.

Regular exercise may help older women significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer. In a recently published study of 62,000 women between ages 55 and 69, women who biked or walked for an hour each day cut their breast cancer risk by 19 percent. The vast majority of breast cancer cases – 75 percent – occur in postmenopausal women. Regular exercise has many additional benefits, of course. One of the most significant: a reduced risk of heart disease, which affects even more women than breast cancer does.

No time to go to the gym? No Problem!

Walking: Of course, we have all heard it before. Walking is easy, convenient and requires no fancy equipment. Slide those sneakers on place one foot in front of the other. Stay to the sidewalks if possible, and dress for the weather. Bring your furry friend and do your pet some good at the same time. Enjoy the quiet time to yourself, bring your music (but be aware of your surroundings) or, if you prefer company maybe a neighbor would join you. Start with a 20-30 minute walk and increase duration as you feel ready, or on days when you have more time available.

Push-ups: This is an oldie but goodie and can be done pretty much anywhere. Place your hands on the floor under chest, and a little wider than shoulder width. Walk your feet back until hips are in line with shoulders. Bend your elbows and slowly lower your whole body (not just your head) towards the floor, then use your chest and triceps to raise your body back up. Choose the traditional straight leg push up (as described) or a modified version by using knees on the floor. Other options include using kitchen counter (while waiting for coffee to brew), or a wall at home. Try for 3 sets, 10 push ups each.

Lunges: This can prove annoying but its a great way to work your thighs and tighten your butt! No more cottage cheese! Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart. Then move your left leg infront of you as if you are taking a step. Keeping your back foot in place bend your knee of the leg you didnt move to lower you to the ground so that ur front leg is almost at a 90 degree angle. Remember to keep your back straight! Hold that position for about 1 second slowly raise back up, keeping your core engaged while you do so and put your forward foot back in the starting postion. Repeat this with your other leg. These get easier the more you do them so to keep the level of difficulty up (No Pain No Gain!) add weights to the exercis, by holding dumbells in each hand. 8 to 10 pounds is a good start

Seated Reverse Flys: These can be done without weights, but for more resistance, use light weights or filled water bottles. Find a chair, firm couch or bed and place a pillow on your lap. Let arms hang down to the floor while resting your chest on the pillow. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together and lift your arms away from the floor, just past shoulder level. A good visualization is to make the insides of your shoulders blades ‘kiss’. Keep your head facing down and your feet firm on the floor for support. This move works the posterior deltoids (back shoulders) and trapezius (upper back). Try for 3 sets of 10 lifts, with a 30 second rest in between sets.

Jump Squats: These explosive jumps will increase your heart rate and burn calories. Start slowly, taking some time to feel comfortable with the motion. Start standing with feet hip width apart and hands on hips. Bend your knees and sit back as if you were sitting into a chair. Pause at the bottom of the movement and then jump up with arms reaching overhead. Land softly, bringing hands back to hips and perform 7 more. Try for 3 sets of 8 jumps, with a minute rest in between.

The Plank: This manuever will engage your core. Simply lay belly down on the floor. then raise yourself up on your elbows and toes. keeping your back straight. hold that postion for as long as you can and you will feel the burn! As you continue to do this, it will get easier. Challenge yourself by raising yourself into the pushup position and then lowering yourself back into the plank. Do this one arm at a time, and repeat for as long as you can.

Enjoy!

Cool downs are important!
A cool-down is a slow return toward a normal resting heart rate after exercise. Always cool down immediately following cardiovascular activity. A cool-down should last between 5-10 minutes and will help prevent dizziness, fainting and muscle soreness. Continue to cool-down until your heart rate reaches 100 beats per minute or less.