Spring in to shape with this move!

Spring is officially here and with that comes shorter hem lines and bikinis. Try this plyometrics exercise called the jump squat and spring your lower body into shape! The jump squat is typically performed by athletes to increase explosiveness in sports like basketball and track. But it's also an excellent quad and glute toning workout that everyone can benefit from.

Here's how to Jump Squat Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, head up, abs tight. Squat down as if you're sitting in a chair with your arms by your side or on your hips. Keep your feet flat on the ground with your toes angled out slightly. [A] Then explode vertically through your heels, arms reaching up. [B] Land on your toes at first, but land fully on your heels as you lower back down to the squatting position. [C]

Jump Squat

Give this plyometrics exercise a try in Beth 'Venom' Horn's Cover Girl Thigh's Downloadable Audio Workout.

Healthy Food on a Budget

Most families are cutting costs on everything these days, including groceries. But be careful not to buy the less expensive foods which are usually pre-packaged and almost always loaded with empty calories, just because it’s on sale. Buying groceries on a budget does not mean that you can’t provide healthy, lean, and nutrient rich foods for your family.



TIPS TO EATING HEALTHY ON A BUDGET:

Plan your meals
Eating healthy, in good economic times and in bad, takes planning…preferably planning meals you prepare yourself at home. When trying to trim your waistline, you must plan so you avoid quick, calorie loaded temptations. And when you’re trimming your budget, planning is essential in order to shop during sales and ensure that there’s time and food in the pantry to cook meals at home instead of eating out.

Chicken on sale? Buy in bulk!
Chicken breasts are a clean eating staple, but can get pretty expensive. Buy your chicken breasts in bulk when it goes on sale. Put what you can’t immediately use in the freezer for later. I shop at Publix . They have weekly sales on chicken breasts, usually starting on Tuesdays and I’ll buy 4 or 5 packages of chicken breasts during these sales and grill up at least 8 breasts at a time for quick, lean meals and snacks. Check your grocery store to see when their chicken breasts go on sale and be sure to shop on that day!

Don’t snub the frozen produce.
You can almost always bet that frozen produce will be substantially less than fresh. And don’t worry about losing any nutrients. Freezing fruits and veggies protects the vitamins and nutrients they contain. In fact, studies show that often times the frozen variety contain more nutrients than the fresh because of the time the fresh produce has sat on the shelf. Frozen also allow you to have access to produce that isn’t in season. Tip: Choose the store brand to save the most!

Hydrate with water!
Limit or eliminate all together all sodas, sugary juices, and alcohol and hydrate your body with water. Save money and go green by investing in a reusable water bottle instead of buying water in disposable plastic containers.

Whole gain carbs = quick, healthy, crowd pleasing meal
I always keep my pantry stocked with several boxes of whole grain pastas of all shapes and sizes and quick brown rice such as Success Boil-n-Bag . They turn left overs into new meals and it’s less expensive to feed a crowd with. After eating grilled or baked chicken and vegetables for a couple of days…a bowl of whole grain pasta is a cheap and healthy comfort.

Print or clip coupons…duh!
Buy your local newspaper and clip or visit sites such as Coupons.com and print coupons before going to the store. It’s all in the planning…

Tanji Johnson on her Fitness International Contest Prep

MyBodyBeats trainer, Tanji Johnson, also known as 'Stealth' from American Gladiators, is more pumped than ever about this weekend's Fitness International competition. When I caught up with Tanji a couple of weeks ago, her enthusiasm and confidence was through the roof. With Kim Klein's retirement and Adela Garcia competing in Figure, she says she feels she has a really strong chance to place high at this year's Fitness International.

Her confidence is justified. In addition to her high caliber fitness routines that we can always count on Tanji to bring, she's going to be presenting a smaller, more conditioned physique in order to stand next to and be more comparable to her fellow competitors with smaller physiques like Jen Hendershott's.


Check out this video interview by BodyBuilding.com as Tanji talks about her training, nutrition, and supplements.

Highlights from the video:

Training - Tanji has been building muscles for years, so now she doesn't need to build muscle, she focuses instead on maintaining her hardness and leanness. She trains more like an athlete these days with explosiveness, muscular endurance, and functionality for her routine.

Nutrition - All diets work differently for every body type. With support from her nutritionist, Pete Grubbs of Construction Zone until she reaches 4 weeks out, when her calories drop.

Supplementation - What does Tanji take post workout? A Gaspari MyoFusion protien shake. What does Tanji take for extra energy? Gaspari Mitotropin.

Train with Tanji here.

Try Running Backwards on the Treadmill

Keep your body guessing by switching up your normal run on the treadmill by turning around! Backwards walking or running on the treadmill will boost the intensity of your workout for a more heart pumping cardiovascular workout. Running in this reverse direction targets your quad muscles and improves your balance. Start out slow, grasping the handles and walking before working up to a full backwards run. You'll feel the difference immediately!