Among the benefits of the Loud Fitness Membership Program is access to downloadable On-the-Go Workouts that you can put on your smart phone and take to the gym, to work, to the park … wherever and whenever you go!

Click to download a preview: Quick Yoga
Quickies are short, 20-minute workouts for when you have very little time but still want to do an effective workout. You can also string them together and make one long workout with different components. (Levels I, II, III)

Want to get the whole Quick Yoga workout and a brand new one each week? Click to join:

Lie face down on the floor, and extend your arms over your head. Now lift your arms and legs into a back extension and contract all muscles in the back of your body. Make sure your head is facing down. Hold for 5-10 seconds.

Now bring your hands to chest height on the floor and raise your body up slowly in a triceps push-up, also known as a Chaturanga in yoga. When your arms are extended, add an abdominal crunch. Hold for 5-10 seconds.

Mind your breath and stay aligned with your tailbone tucked under and belly button pulled in towards your spine.

Repeat 10-15 times, and you will have a full-body, core-based exercise, strengthening and stabilizing your entire body.

Want the tools to develop life-long health habits?
Check out my e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.

Fall is here! It’s the season of dramatic color and chilly nights. In the colder and darker areas of the country, the decrease in sunlight signals our bodies that it’s time to hibernate. (California might not experience it to the same extent but trust me, we feel it here, too.) It can be difficult to find motivation, but slowing down is not necessarily an obstacle, just merely a bump in the road on our long and exciting journey to a healthier body and lifestyle.

A big part of living a healthy life is listening to what the body needs, and accepting the changes it goes through. Let’s invite some new movement to play with, to get the body going and the mind motivated again. Here are a few things that bring the fun into staying fit…

Hula hoops
Go back to the old days when you were hula hooping on the playground! Did you think that it was exercise? Hula hooping can be a fun cardio workout as well as core and abs all in one. It can burn up to 400 kcal per hour! It’s very important to stretch before and after, but other than that, it’s a safe and fun exercise. There are hoop DVDs, but the easiest thing is to go to the nearest Target, pick up a hula hoop, and get going!

TRX Suspension Training
These are traditional strength exercises performed while hanging suspended from the ceiling. Your core must be involved and you will be working out your entire body, as you use your own body weight as resistance. Of course, it is important to receive proper guidance to avoid risks. In my business of personal training, everyone seems to have a TRX Suspension Training strap available for anywhere and anytime training!

YOSPIN fusion
Mix 30 minutes of yoga with 30 minutes of spinning for an excellent body-mind workout. The cardio-intensive cycling followed by flexibility-increasing yoga helps stretch and condition muscles. Switching between the two activities can lead to injury, so a mindful stop and switch – waiting until the heart rate recovers before starting yoga – is imperative. If you don’t have spinning or yoga at your gym, go to a spinning class, download yoga to your MP3 player, and do your own thing!

Of course, you can also create your own fusions of your favorite exercise routines! Do you have any tips to trade? Any fun workouts like hula hoping that you would like to share? Please let us know!

Live Life Loud!

Want the tools to develop life-long health habits?
Check out my e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.

Images: AmandaLouise, Amazon.com, Fitness Anywhere, Gaiam Restorative Exercise for Relaxation Kit

• Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra and Tara Stiles: An iPhone (or iPad) app with clear poses and lessons to practice at work, on vacation, or anywhere you go. ($1.99)

• Yoga Journal iPractice: An iPhone app with sequences designed for stress relief, core strength, weight loss, increased energy, relaxation, flexibility, and more. There are 15 classes and you can set your own pace. ($2.99)

• Yoga Journal to Go Podcast: An online or downloadable yoga class taught by Kathryn Budig of Yogaworks in Santa Monica. Each podcast focuses on a different theme and is great for all levels. (Free)

• Office Yoga: A fun, illustrated iPhone app with 75 stress-relieving stretches to do on your commute, at your desk, etc. ($2.99)

• Yoga Download: Audio and video classes for many different styles, levels, and desired results. 20-minute classes are free, and you can purchase longer classes individually or get a membership. (Free & Paid)

Did I miss any of your favorites? Leave a comment!

A: Hi Anna, Thank you for your question and kudos! Gaiam definitely has some good yoga and Pilates DVDs, but the most important thing for you to remember when you are pregnant is to really listen to your body. It important to FEEL comfortable, so if a workout or a move makes you feel nervous and insecure of doing it – just don’t at that time. Maybe you will feel different next time. Also, twists are not recommended during pregnancy so it would be useful to find yoga DVDs that are specific to prenatal and pregnancy. There is tons of material out there!! Try Shiva Rea’s Prenatal Yoga DVD and Kit. Have a beautiful pregnancy!

Best,
Tanja

Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!

A: Hi Lauren, Gaiam’s yoga DVDs are great! Rodney Yee is an amazing instructor and I use his DVDs myself. For starters, check out his Yoga: Core Cross Train and Power Yoga: Total Body DVDs.

I only do yoga for myself, but what I usually do is a series of poses that I need that day, a class at a studio here in LA, or a DVD with Rodney!! No excuses.

Best,
Tanja

Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!

If the weather or other stress has got you down, take a look at these Six Mood-Boosting Yoga Poses from Whole Living. Besides stretching your muscles and getting your blood flowing, these poses should lift your spirit … and you don’t even have to leave the warmth of your house (or office, if you have some space)!

Image: Whole Living