Have you been out shopping for a bathing suit yet this spring? Clothing boutiques are bursting this year with bikinis of vibrant colors, artsy patterns, and bold designs. For lots of us, this eye-opening consumer experience signals a major increase in exercise time. Bicep curls and abdominal crunches are all the rage as the reality sets in that the body needs big time attention before you actually have to wear that beautiful new bathing suit. That’s why embracing exercise efficiency will help you make the most of your efforts.
Remember that to lose weight and increase muscle tone, your metabolism needs to fire on all cylinders. It’s not just about strength work, and it isn’t just about cardio – it’s both. That’s why workout efficiency is so important. When you combine moves, cut down on rest time, and transition skillfully from one exercise to the next, your body stays happily confused. This makes it work harder, your heart rate stays elevated, because your muscles are moving in various directions, and results become far more probable. (more…) read more →
Editors Note: Have you ever heard of a web crush? Well I might have made up the term just for this weeks Top Pick, Bianca Jade, miss MizzFit herself. She’s one of those inspiring, fabulous and bright-spirited women I have been following on the web for months and up until recently when we finally met at an event, I was dying to meet her! Bianca takes fitness and fashion to another level and is inspiring her readers and viewers to do the same. I recently took my web crush one step further and got the chance to learn more about what makes Bianca so passionate about MizzFit.com, the three things she can’t live without, and I even got some inspiring advice in the process. Read below to see why Bianca Jade is AWoman To Watch! ~Nitika~
Featured on The Today Show as a Fitness Trend and Style Expert, Bianca Jade is the Founder and Editor of Fitness, Fashion and Wellness website, MizzFIT.com. Bianca brings her readers from around the globe the latest trends in fitness apparel and accessories, highlighting stylish active wear from emerging designers to major luxury sportswear brands. Bianca believes the key to a great workout is feeling confident in the way you look. With her Style Up to Shape Up philosophy, Bianca rallies women for fitness with fashion.
Bella Life: What inspired you to create MizzFit.com?
1. Animal prints on both apparel and accessories. Zebra-print especially!
2. Tie-dye workout gear in bright colors and in darker colors like gray/black. Nike is really pushing Tie-dyes right now and I love how they’re making it look cool not like something you made at summer camp.
3. Capri tights worn under very short shorts – you get coverage while feeling like you’re wearing sometime short, sexy and flirty.
4. I’m seeing gypsy-style workout pants infiltrate the fitness apparel world. I’m not sure I love this trend because I didn’t love it for ready-wear but that doesn’t mean it won’t be popular. I think on some body types it looks really amazing but it depends on how the pants flatter your physique. So definitely approach this trend carefully.
5. The trend I’m most excited about for Spring and now Summer is FLORALS!!! It’s kind of a throwback to Reality Bites fashion that was half hipster and half hippie. I remember that time so clearly and how much I loved floral print maxi dresses and flowing tops then…so it’s really exciting to watch it come back and see how it’s working its way into the fitness fashion world. I think smaller floral prints are a better bet than larger, more abstract floral prints. But just find a way to incorporate flowers into your look that says something about you and you’re good to go!
Bella Life: You encourage your readers to have confidence and feel sexy, what are three things you do to feel confident and sexy?
Bianca Jade: I style up to shape up in fitness clothes that flatter my figure and make me want to look at myself in the mirror at the gym, not hide from it. I also treat a workout like an important event…as if it were a date or high stakes meeting, and put my best foot forward. When you carry yourself with confidence and have a positive outlook, you believe it and all your insecurities melt away. Let’s face it we’re all insecure about something. You can’t worry about people judging you. You have to stop judging yourself and believe that you’re awesome. Then to top it all off i love bubble baths! When I can, I like to stay home on a Friday night and pamper myself with a feel good bath, aromatherapy and a new nail polish shade. Speaking of nail polish, having manicured toenails that are painted a nice bright color always makes me feel confident in yoga class. Manicured feet stand out and it feels good to be complemented on them. Feet are generally kind of silly looking. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on them altogether. Especially in classes where you neighbor might get a foot in the face. A good scrub and a weekly polish can easily transform your feet. And that’s coming from a girl whose baby toes have been broken more times than I can remember.
Bianca Jade: Receiving comments on articles I write on MizzFIT.com from readers. Just knowing someone cares to read my writing is a compliment. But then hearing their feedback and personal stories is a huge treat because they’ve now let me into their world. It’s an honor to connect with people who share my interests or want my help.
Bianca Jade: My tips are the following three, key things:
1. Research. Watch your competition. See what they’re doing and not doing. Study their websites. Figure out how to be different. I look at a ton of fitness websites everyday and bookmark anyone I consider to be my competition. You need to stay on top of what other people are doing and use this knowledge to improve the product or service you’re offering. This can be very inspiring because other people’s ideas give me new and unique ideas for my business everyday.
2. Collaborate. Work with other entrepreneurs to cross promote your businesses. You’re not the only entrepreneur out there. Share your stories and tips. Work together and you’ll succeed together. Some of the companies I initially identified as my competition are companies that reached out to me or vice versa to collaborate on fun projects that helped to promote my brand. Sometimes your competition can actually be your greatest ally.
3. Forgive the people who laughed at you. So many people giggled or rolled their eyes at me when I told them about MizzFIT. I could’ve stayed angry or let it fester inside of me but instead I chalked it up this way—“they just don’t see what I see…YET”. I’m glad I did and will continue to do this in most situations because I don’t think that holding a grudge propels you forward.
Bella Life: Where would you like to take your brand over the next several years? Do you have a specific goal in mind?
Bianca Jade: Finding and connecting with people who believe in me and what I’m doing and getting them on board with it. That may sound like a boring answer but the truth is that you can’t do big things on your own. My manager, Shana Scala, has helped me turn many of my visions for MizzFIT into a reality. Working with people who believe in you and want you to grow is very exciting because some days you think, “why isn’t everyone as excited about this as I am?” and you feel like you’re all alone. But then look at Lady Gaga! She loves her fans so much and you can tell by the lyrics to her music. Once you build your team and find people that believe in you, well, that’s when you hit the lottery! Shana, wasn’t big into fitness when we first started working together but now we work out and take spinning classes together. You should check out the Style Up 2 Shape Up video I did with her, its fantastic.
Bella Life: What are three things you can’t live without?
Bianca Jade: 1. My apple laptop which turns everywhere I go into a MizzFIT office–this is important when you’re constantly blogging! My laptop gets a lot of attention because it has a Snow White decal on it that shows Show White taking a bite out of the apple logo. I like to think that’s me taking a bite out of NYC. 2. My gym bag! What can I say? Did you think I’d carry a purse around? 3. Passion – it’s the reason I get out of bed every morning and don’t want to go to bed at night. Passion is how you know you’re really living.
WATCH THIS FUN & INSPIRING VIDEO ABOUT MizzFit:
Editors Note: For me this article is really encouraging. Not everyone is a get up at 5am to go kill themselves at the gym workout fanatic. I am certainly NOT. However I do believe that you owe it to yourself to explore what workout works for YOU. You don’t have to do what everyone else does and we at Bella Life certainly don’t want you to suffer through getting healthy! Add COLOR to your exercise and see if bouncing your way to health feels right for you. While your at it, check out these amazing Body Rock Sport pieces to look stylish while getting fit. ~Nitika~
A common challenge that many people struggle with is finding an exercise routine that is effective, maintainable, and most importantly enjoyable! Many of us decide to start the New Year on the ‘right foot’ and spend a lot of money on joining a gym or trying out a new yoga studio. We put pressure on ourselves to start working out every day and if we do not, then we feel guilty for not keeping up with the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves. Unfortunately, something that was intended to make you feel good and improve your health ends up making you feel like a failure and you give up on it all together. I am pointing this out so you can choose not to fall into this trap and instead set the intention to allow yourself to find the routine that works best for you. One activity that I was inspired to start up again during my Living Foods Lifestyle program at the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico this winter is rebounding. Over the summer I admittedly neglected this valuable piece of equipment that was sitting in my bedroom, but I have seen the light and am now enjoying all of the wonderful benefits this exercise provides!
Rebounding? For those of you who may not have heard of rebounding it is a low-impact workout consisting of bouncing or jumping on a rebounder, which looks similar to a mini-trampoline but functions a bit differently. Trampolines are typically used for recreation purposes and allow a greater G-force experience on the downward bounce than a rebounder. Rebounders are usually of higher quality and are more stable, enabling it to be safe for every one of all ages to use. Working with the forces of acceleration, deceleration, and gravity, rebounding stimulates every cell in your body.
Benefits. There are a number of benefits you can gain from rebounding which include; toning your body, reducing body fat, improving balance, strengthening your immune system, and improving your digestion. It is a great aerobic workout which strengthens your heart muscles and can help balance your cholesterol levels. I also find it helps uplift my mood and increases my energy level. I love doing it first thing in the morning to start my day off on a positive note and wake myself up. It is also perfect for when I get home from work to reset my mood and release any negative energy or stress I picked up throughout the day. You have to try it for yourself but it is impossible for me to be bouncing up and down and not smile. I often have creative ideas or think of solutions for a situation I have been trying to figure out while I am bouncing. Another huge benefit that I like about rebounding is that you can do it barefoot in the comfort of your own home!
Types Exercises. You can classify the types of exercises into three main categories consisting of:
1) The Health Bounce, an easy, gentle bounce keeping your feet on the mat of the rebounder that in just two minutes flushes your entire lymphatic system;
2) The Strength Bounce takes it to the next level of jumping off the mat up and down strengthening every cell in your body; and
3) The Aerobic Bounce allows you to get creative and do a variety of movements including jogging, jumping jacks, twists, kicks, and punches. I have my own little routine I like to do but once you start jumping you will be amazed how you intuitively just do what your body needs and what feels good. The most important thing is to have fun with it and get your heart pumping!
Rebounding has not quite hit the mainstream yet, but more classes seem to be popping up in gyms such as Equinox, Crunch, and New York Health and Racquet. Taking a class would be an excellent way to try it out before buying your own. I personally have the Needak rebounder and have had a great experience with it, but there are many others on the market. Just make sure to do some research and don’t end up wasting your money on an imitation that will not provide the same benefits. I feel it is worth every penny I spent and if you have any questions please leave a comment or contact me directly. I would be happy to support you to bouncing your way to health! read more →