Source: WENN

Super trainers to the stars kick butts in the gym for a living. They’ve made a name for themselves as body transformers – but it comes at a price. Hand over your body to these fit freaks, and they will return it to you drenched in sweat, with muscle fatigue and lungs gasping for air. Notorious for savagely replacing jiggle with firmness, they have no love for your jelly (sorry Bey, they ain’t ready). From lunges to dead lifts and everything in between, see how these fit gurus work magic with their tried and true fitness techniques.

Black women exercise

Has old man winter gotten your waistline a bit off kilter? No need to fret! Here are 8 ways to whittle your waistline, just in time to bare some skin for spring.

Leg Lifts

Leg lifts are usually performed upright using a Captain Chair but for optimal results with little strain on your upper body, try them laying down. Begin by lying down face up. For beginners, bend knees, feet flat on the floor as the starting position. Inhale and lift knees towards chest, pause for 2 seconds and return feet to start position as you exhale. Raise the knees as close to chest as possible without using momentum.

To advance the exercise, raise knees towards chest, pause and exhale as you straighten the legs vertically. Inhale again before lowering the legs in a straight position gently down to the ground, exhaling as they descend. For the super strong core, target your lower abdominals by completing the exercise with straight legs entirely.

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I used to be all about the gym, fitness, healthy eating and all that comes with it. I have a closet full of workout gear and a cupboard full of water containers to prove it. I had a personal trainer who I would curse at weekly while she whittled me into fit and toned fabulosity.

Then, life happened.

I had to have surgery. Then there was the eight weeks of recovery, and getting back into the swing of things and back to work. Soon, the gym would be just a place I would donate money to and pass on my daily travels. Finding my way back to the gym (as in, back inside and not looking in from the outside) became harder and harder the longer I stayed away.

The truth is, I miss the fit and fabulous me. I miss having boundless energy and the constant desire to work out. I miss my trainer and our pretend love-hate relationship (I truly appreciated her). I even miss those 10 flights of stairs she made me run almost every week.

Realizing it was time for something new, I asked around for recommendations of gyms in my area and fitness classes that would be affordable. I got a lot of recommendations from friends, but then I realized there was an option I had been overlooking all this time.  Groupon, the online shopaholic’s paradise, not only had great deals for clothes, jewelry, food and trips, but gym membership and fitness classes, too. My brain was pre-wired to look for restaurant Groupons, so I naturally overlooked any that could help me work off the food I was stuffing in my face thanks to their deals.

On a recent visit to Groupon.com, I found a sweet deal on a kickboxing class one of my girlfriends had told me about.  The gym was offering a 10-class package for less than half the price of one month’s membership. I clicked the ‘buy’ button with the quickness on that one.

Then I found a deal on a trial membership to one of the hottest (literally) yoga studios in the area. I had heard a lot about Bikram yoga, and wanted to try it. However, I wasn’t about to fork out a full membership fee for something new that I didn’t know if I would like. The trial package was perfect; it offered just enough classes to see if I’d like it, and it was within my budget. Click! Sold!

There was a dirt-cheap Groupon for a freestyle fitness class I had heard about. For about the price of a fast food value meal, I could get 10 one-hour freestyle fitness/dance classes at one of the premiere studios in the area. Reviews I read about the class were overwhelmingly positive. It wasn’t Zumba, but it sounded just as fun. Click!

I’m just starting to use my fitness Groupons now, but I’ve mapped out a plan to use them all over the next three months and I’m excited about finally getting back in the gym, losing the pounds and living healthy once again.  While I’m starting to feel a little lighter, at least my wallet isn’t. This isn’t in any way an advertisement for Groupon because Lord knows they’re not paying me for my shared opinions, but I’m grateful for the types of classes I’ve been exposed to thanks to the classes they offer. Without a Groupon, you would never find me in Bikram yoga. Without the deals I’ve found, I would barely be motivated to try kickboxing, but the deals have helped me to get enthusiastic about staying fit once again. The variety of the classes I have to choose from will keep things interesting, no doubt, and I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with the fit and fab me. It’s only a matter of time.

Source: khamitkinks.com

From yourtango.com

By Debi Silber

Maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle is not only important for your body, but for your soul, as well. Below are ten simple steps that will get you the lean, sleek and energetic body you crave and will keep you nourished and happy.

1. Create an exercise plan. If you’re not seeing results from your exercise routine, it’s time to kick it up a notch. How about throwing in a few intervals, completing high intensity bursts of movement, trying a new type of cardio routine or changing your running route? The key to exercise results is consistency along with a dose of “muscle confusion.” When muscles don’t know what to expect, they react. This leads to a sleek, toned look and a faster metabolism.

2. Visit your local farmer. Now is the time to search out where your local farmers are so you can enjoy the freshest fruits and vegetables without any of the chemicals, herbicides and pesticides that are found on many supermarket varieties of produce. Don’t know where they are?

Get more tips for obtaining that perfect beach body at yourtango.com

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Still holding onto some Christmas chub? Well, the new year is still here, and there’s still lots of time to get Hot for summer. If the standard treadmill workout bores you and your gym’s cardio classes leave you cold, it may be time to shake things up. Finding a workout that you enjoy, that can help you stick to your fitness goals. There are lots of unique ways to stay in shape. Here’s a look at five uncommon fitness classes to help you get tightened and toned.

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As the obesity rate continues to rise in this country, the market for health and fitness has evolved into an industry estimated to be worth $17.6 billion. African American adults have the highest obesity rates at 37 percent among men and nearly 50 percent among women. With alarming rates such as these, more Black fitness stars are devising innovative ways for people to get off the couch and burn calories while having fun. Here are seven of the best bodies and business models among African American fitness gurus:

Billy Blanks

While working out in his basement in 1976, martial artist Billy Blanks accidentally developed what would later become known to the world as Tae Bo, an aerobic routine that incorporates martial arts, boxing and dance. After opening the Billy Blanks World Training Center in Sherman Oaks in 1989, word traveled about the infectious workout, bringing in celebrity clients such as Paula Abdul. Blanks introduced the first Tae Bo workout video in 1998 and within a year, had sold 1.5 million video sets. Although competition has tempered the popularity of the Tae Bo DVDs now-a-days, it remains one of the top selling workout regiments. Banks now lives in Japan where in 2007, he reportedly sold more than $130 million worth of merchandise, including more than a million copies of his ‘Billy’s BootCamp’ series.

Toni Marshall and Ashley Hicks of BGR!

There’s a huge misconception that black women don’t run.  It was just over a year ago that Toni Marshall decided she was going to take care of her health and start running as a workout regimen. When she called her mother to share the exciting news, she said what many of our own moms might say: “black girls don’t run.” And Marshall did exactly what many of you Madames might have done: she called her girl. In this case, it was Ashley Hicks, her college friend and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, and they set out to squash that myth by starting Black Girls RUN!

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