Health & Fitness

Health & Fitness: Postnatal with Bouncelimit HK

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I’ve been very into a new workout sensation that has hit Hong Kong. BounceLimit is the first rebounding studio in Asia, located right at the heart of Sheung Wan. Their modern studio is so convenient, featuring a schedule of fun cardio classes as well as pilates, bootcamp, and pre and post natal courses. If you need encouragement and something fun to keep you going back this is the absolute best place. The instructors and founder, Lucia, are so nice, enthusiastic, and helpful.

After months of back pain from constantly carrying, chasing, and nursing Ever, I decided to sign up for their post natal course to help with my posture, rebuild my stomach muscles, and learn tips on how to stay fit after pregnancy and being a busy mummy.

Here are a few tips from the knowledgeable crew at BounceLimit about how to correct your everyday movements with your baby for less pain, and more strength and toning.

what not to do

Who else is guilty of this stick out your tummy to support the baby pose. This my go to stance when holding Ever, especially since I carry her in the baby carrier often, I find it easier to arch my back and support her with my stomach.

To correct this I am attempting to tilt my pelvis back and realign everything to a straight line. I am also going to try carrying Ever on my back rather than always on my front. The guys at Bouncelimit have advised me to make sure not only to switch from front to back, but always side to side. Make sure to not always put your weight in one place when you are carrying, nursing, or rocking the baby.

what to do

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what not to do

Here is another habit of mine. Bending over to pick Ever up, or bending over to stand while I’m holding her. Now that she’s learning to walk I am also constantly bending over to hold her hands. All the pressure is put on my lower back and I have an annoying ache.

In post natal, they have taught us to use the all familiar but so effective squat. Yes those same squats you do at the gym to tone your butt and thighs. Before standing up with the baby in your arms, sit up straight and then squat to standing position. When you have to lift the baby out of the crib, off the floor, or from the playpen, make sure to squat and then lift with your legs. Imagine how much better your legs will look after a few weeks of switching to this method. If you think squatting is a bit awkward in public and only for home use, you can lunge to pick up the baby instead of squatting. Also instead of bending down to hold Ever’s hands I’m trying to get used to squatting down to her level and moving in a circle with her. Make sure to switch sides when lunging. Now all the pressure is off your back and you are constantly toning those legs.

what to do

***

Yay, how easy was that?! Just a few easy adjustments and you are on your way to becoming stronger and with less pain. I’m finding it’s all about habit building, within a few weeks it’s second nature and you automatically correct yourself. In postnatal we have also been learning different abdominal exercises that you can practice daily at home. I can really feel it the next day and my tingling muscles tell me we are on the way to a flatter stomach. I was in a tennis league near me before I had Ever so I could keep my fitness up that way, but now I’ve found post natal, Bouncelimit is the way to go. The instructors at Bouncelimit help you build techniques into your lifestyle making it a way of healthy living. Not only do they whip you into shape with their cardio classes, where you can burn up to 1000 calories, but they also teach you how to work your abdominals in daily activities making it a lifestyle rather than a quick fitness fad.

Check out BounceLimit for their prenatal courses which are taught in small groups over a six week period. You get lots of one on one attention and if you dedicate yourself to attending twice a week they will get you back into shape. You will start feeling the difference after only a few classes.

Join their membership and receive discounted classes and exclusive members workshops which allow you to get more in depth tutorials about different health and fitness topics and exercises.

BounceLimit

The Pemberton, 13/F, 22-26 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan

T: (852) 2441 0021

April 8, 2015 0 comment

Health & Fitness

Health and Fitness Post: HK’s Best Cold Pressed Juice Cleanse

written by ChristingC

New year, new you. We hear the same resolutions every year. Exercise more, eat healthy, lose 10 pounds…and the list goes on. I’m just as guilty as the rest of them. There’s something about closing the chapter and starting over, you feel as if a new opportunity has presented itself and this will be the year you look hot, stay on top of all your work, and achieve extreme success. Let’s hope we get at least half way there, but for now I wanted to actually start a regime I can maintain. If you aren’t already aware, the boy is a food blogger, so I spend most of my evenings devouring the most decadent, delicious, and heavenly dishes available and add even more wine on top of that. Luckily the boy has jumped onto the January detox bandwagon and is more or less fasting for two weeks, which means I get a break from food tasting and can up my veggie intake significantly.

Now I love the whole idea of juicing, cleaning out your system, and shedding tons of pounds, but it’s not a commitment I can suffer through without a few personal adjustments. First of all an all liquid diet is not doable for me. I have a baby, love to work out, and generally just enjoy chewing so my goal is always juice during daytime when I’m super busy and sit down to one healthy meal a night. This means no grumbling tummy before bed and generally a more likable me. I find with this plan is one I can stick to for two weeks at a time, and even when our food tasting life begins again, I still steer towards veggies and fruit during the day. It’s a great lifestyle plan, not just a January plan.

I wanted to share my favourite HK cold pressed juice companies with you guys in case you wanted to try too or maybe go for the full on juice cleanse.

Mr. Green Juice: The juices come in trendy mason jars, all ingredients are 100% organic, and there are a lot of veggies in each jar. I no longer have to worry about my 5 a day and everything tastes super fresh and healthy. I love these before and after working out for lots of energy and their beetroot flavour is so yummy.

Genie Juicery: They have the most delicious flavours in my opinion and so many options including cold brewed coffee. My favourite flavours are Beaches and Bugs Bunny and their green juices have actually helped me through a few hangovers. The store in IFC makes it very easy to incorporate into your everyday lifestyle even if you aren’t detoxing.

Bejuiced: I found these the most filling of the bunch. If I were to go down the only liquid route this would be my choice. They are yummy and easy to sip throughout the day, and with flavours like “Oh My Gazpacho” you almost feel like you are eating a little something.

Happy detoxing and eating clean and please share any tips below 🙂

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January 7, 2015 0 comment

Health & Fitness

Health & Fitness with ChristingC: Juicing and XYZ

written by ChristingC

Just wanted to catch up and give a little update on my recent health kick. I’ve managed to keep up the spin classes at XYZ despite being a bit more run down recently, and my adventures in juicing have been very enjoyable to my surprise. I must share my favourites with you soon, but between nursing a newborn and running around town all day I was unable to stick strictly to the detox regime. My solution was a single light daytime meal alongside juices and a spin class before dinner.

My addiction to spinning has come back in full force and it is honestly my ideal way to get fit. I didn’t get the chance to double up with classes as often as I would have liked, and have decided a workout buddy really keeps you on track. The classes at XYZ are so much fun and the instructors always inspire me to keep working harder. You really feel accomplished after one of their Born to Move classes and it keeps me on a healthier route during dinner knowing I’ve burned a good amount of calories.

Less than 10 days until holiday time. Will give you guys another update before then.

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August 18, 2014 0 comment

Health & Fitness

Health & Fitness with ChristingC: XYZ Indoor Cycling

written by ChristingC

The time has come. I’m starting my health kick. Not to some crazy extent, but it’s 12 weeks post Baby Ever’s arrival and I want to work towards my old body and fitness levels. I can be lazy at the best of times, so I need a bit of a push to pry myself out of our cozy bed, and ignite the desire to sweat. My decidsion was to jump start it all with my favourite form of exercise, aka spinning, and what better place than ultra cool XYZ.

If you want working out to be fun, fast paced and interactive this is the place for you. I’m obsessed with the great music, upbeat vibe, and general friendly atmosphere. It’s not all fun and games though. I started out with a How to XYZ class and their slower paced Grow Young class before moving onto the ultra fun and sweat it all out Born to Move. The instructors are all reassuringly enthusiastic without being overbearing and manage to make each class fly by. I am never bored and always looked forward to returning each day. I even managed to do a few days of back to back classes and am now feeling more toned, energetic,and happier. The endorphins are definitely addictive and I can’t stop myself from daily visits for that extra high.

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August 6, 2014 0 comment