Category Archives: The Body

Balance Ball Exercises

One of the best ways to see results with your workout is to “mix it up”. If you get stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over, your body will actually get used to it and you’ll no longer see any “results”  or “changes” in your body.  AFA personal trainer Rich Bready is taking time to help us out again and shows us different exercise we can do with the stability ball.  The stability ball is a great asset to include in your workouts, the uneven surface will engage your core, as you work hard to maintain balance. More Bang for your Buck!

Shutter Island

Lets start this off by filling you in on the main character played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Teddy Daniels, a tough guy Marshall  who gets called out to a remote psychiatric ward off the New England shore, It’s a facility where dangerous maniacs are subjected to unique “treatments” by the questionable Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and his loyal staff of physicians, nurses and heavily armed corrections officers.
  Now we can’t get too involved in the description of this flick or we will end up giving it away, and that would not be cool…. This flick is too damn good to spoil for anyone, even if we don’t like you!  
Teddy arrives on Shutter Island (seasick no less) with his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), determined to get to the bottom of a case involving a female inmate  named Rachel Solando, who vanished from her cell without a trace. Rachel is unstable and dangerous: she was sent to the Island after murdering her three children and arranging them around the dinner table for her husband to find.
  We have to point out this film was directed beautifully by one of our favorites Martin Scorsese, the imagery was visually stimulating, even for Sara the critique of all things visual, still imagery or film.  
Teddy and Chuck start to dig deep into their investigation when they find themselves up against a wall, no one is willing to talk, not the patients, the staff and more importantly not Dr. Cawley, or Dr. Naehring (Max Van Sydow). Teddy and Chuck two WWII vets who both know first hand from experience what true evil is, start to have their suspicions and realize they have stumbled onto something much larger than what they thought. 
This psychological thriller was beautifully crafted and visually amazing. 
we were intrigued by the intelligence of the film, it’s characters and the authenticity of depicting the era and struggles of soldiers bordering on “keeping it sane after all they have experienced.”  This is a suspenseful thriller that will leave you in “awe” when it all unfolds!  
  Go see this movie, we give it 5 spark plugs, one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. 

Kettle Bells

So, you have probably seen these strange looking things at the gym and have thought “what the hell am I supposed to do with those things?”   Well, our buddy AFA certified personal trainer Rich Bready shows us some great exercises to do with the kettle bells.  Pay attention to Rich’s form, with any exercise proper form is key to prevent injury and get the most out of your workout.

Don’t forget to Stretch!

Guess what, the Holidays are long gone, Valentines day is over, and before we know it it’s going to be shorts and tank top season. Get back into the swing of your workout, but don’t forget to stretch your body before and after each session. Our good friend AFA certified personal trainer Rich Bready shares some quick stretches we can do at the beginning and end of each workout.

Think Like An Athlete!

With The Winter Olympics starting tonight we thought it made perfect sense to point out the mindset of these amazing athletes that will be competing.   What does it take to think like an athlete, and why should we? 
Have you ever had a hard time getting yourself motivated to actually get yourself to the gym, or to go for a run? Have you ever been working out and your body is telling you that you just can’t go any further, you don’t have anything left inside you? Well you actually do have plenty left inside you.  If you can pull your mind over body, just like an athlete does you will find yourself with the strength and ambition needed to push yourself to reach those goals you didn’t think were obtainable.
  people like me and you can achieve this, we have to “think like an athlete”, use the Athlete mindset. 

 

A mindset is a set of thought patterns and beliefs that drive our behaviors. We have mindsets about many parts of our lives. We have  mindsets about work, play, family and more. 

The “athlete mindset” is something that encompasses a certain fighting competitive spirit even in the face of, adversity and challenges. It incorporates a number of mental game topics such as mental toughness, focus, determination, goal orientation, etc.

The athlete mindset is not just for the athletic world. It can spill over into other parts of life. Often professional athletes turn their energies and that athlete mindset into successful second careers in business.  Another perfect example is Lance Armstrong who took his athlete mindset and attacked his cancer and conquered.  

 We all have “hurdles” in our life that we think we’ll never be able to get over…  that is so not the case, we have it in us to overcome, we need to dig deep and “Think like an Athlete”.  

So while your watching the Winter Olympics, “Think like an Athlete” and let this mindset help drive you through your life, use this mindset in all you do and go for your own gold!

Time to lose your old Bandanna’s!

Christie checked out Style Saver Scarves and shared with us what she likes about them.
Style Savers were designed by a lady rider and she captured a unique and innovative way to protect your hairstyle from becoming the dreaded “helmet hair” while wearing a helmet when riding.

Christie tells us this is a hand made satin scarf that comes in pretty cool colors and designs. She was really psyched about the fact that you don’t have to tie this like you would an old ordinary bandanna, it has an elastic built right into the design for a comfortable easy fit. No slipping off when you remove your helmet and if you follow the directions your hair will look perfect after riding! Check out the website for more detailed info and all the styles they offer. Toss out your old cotton bandanna, it’s not doing your hair any favors! Take a style saver scarf for a test ride (hey try saying that 5 times fast, if you listen closely in the video, Sara kinda trips up on the name! LOL) Style Saver Scarves

February is American Heart Month

 Heart Disease is the #1 killer in women today. 
 Take time this month to look at your lifestyle and make changes if necessary to be heart healthy and don’t forget to exercise, Garage-Girls will be bringing more exercise informative videos to you to help us all encourage each other to mainatin our bodies in a positive healthy way.  For more info on heart health visit The American Heart Association.