As a personal trainer and life-long fitness fanatic, I am excited to host this guest post and book giveaway by fitness expert, Lani Muelrath, to celebrate the publication of her brand new book, Fit Quickies: 5-Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts.
Fit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body Shaping Workouts is an effective, research-driven collection of exercises for functional fitness and body shaping that cuts through the confusion of trends and complicated weight loss routines. It minimizes the time investment needed to see results, yet is honest about what is needed to achieve fitness and body-shaping goals.
Lani has helped thousands of people transform their bodies – and their lives – with her three pillars of healthy weight and fitness: a simple exercise plan, a whole-food plant-based diet, and mindset mastery. In this book, she shares specific strategies on exactly what to do for success in each area.
In Fit Quickies, Lani shares her collection of quick, easy-to-follow body-shaping exercises that zero in on those problem areas and gives them a solid challenge. With these exercises you’ll lift and shape your body and soon see a flatter belly, shapelier thighs, firmer arms, a tighter tush, a strong core, and so much more. Along with her plant-based dietary plan and tools for mindset mastery, you have a winning ticket to healthy, happy and fit.
WIN A FREE COPY by clicking HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here is the book trailer for the new book:
Fit Quickies: 5 Minute, Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts Official Book Trailer from Lani Muelrath.
The Power of the 5 Minute Fitness Break! from the Plant-Based Fitness Expert Lani Muelrath
I’ve got great news for you. It’s the power of the 5 minute fitness break.
I’m betting there is not a single person reading this who wouldn’t agree that they feel better after they’ve had a little exercise. Moved your body. Am I right?
Think about it – when you’ve exercised your body – with anything from a stretch to a walk to a workout, you experience an immediate surge in vitality, physical well being, physical confidence, more clarity of mind – these instantly become yours. It’s universal. We simply feel healthier.
What does ‘healthy’ mean to you?
Healthy means more than the numbers on a chart. Healthy also means:
- Vitality – having the ability to thrive in your life – to have the energy, strength, and stamina to do all the things you want to do.
- Feeling good in your body – having a physical resiliency that invites you to be active, rather than the absence of vitality, which holds you back from fully participating in the life that you want.
In short, there is no greater feeling in the world that being energetically healthy, and at your trim weight.
True, there’s no better, healthier, easier way to get to the trim weight part than a whole foods, plant-based diet – though exercise definitely helps. Yet when it comes to the energetic part – the full of vitality part – the strong part – so that you can absolutely thrive and enjoy the activities and adventures of your life? That vital companion to a healthy plant-based diet is exercise. And the good news is that you can get these benefits in surprisingly little time.
Activity Rx
Multiple miracles take place when you challenge your body to reach, strive, and push beyond the status quo of a more sedentary lifestyle. The fact that sitting less reverses disease biomarkers tells us a lot. Research tells us that simply by being less sedentary we lower cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance, and many symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Somehow it’s more inviting for us to talk about the food than the fitness. Maybe it’s because we simply find eating more fun than exercise! But let’s be absolutely clear on one thing – having the level of fitness to move energetically and joyfully through your day, whether it is being strong enough to carry the groceries into the house, dash through the airport, or eagerly lace up for a walk – means that you have to train and prepare for it – even if it is 5 minutes at a time.
The Power of the 5 Minute Fitness Break
Short fitness breaks benefit us in three distinct ways:
- as health protection
- as a builder of strength and vitality
- as muscle strengthener and body shaper.
Health protection: Research tells us that the first line of defense when it comes to exercise and your health is simply not sitting so much by punctuating periods of sedentary time with movement. That means in less than one second – the time it takes to go from sitting to standing – you positively impact biomarkers that, along with a whole foods, plant-based diet, can stride you away from disease. That is how you initiate a 5 minute fitness break – it’s that easy.
Strength, vitality, and body shape: From there, it’s a short leap to sneaking in a muscle challenge. This layers in multiple benefits for you. Working your muscles not only shapes and strengthens your body, it encourages lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in your skeletal muscle; sitting suppresses it. Remember, LPL is an enzyme with the job of extracting particles of fat in your blood and transporting them to one of two places: to your fat cells for storage or to your muscle cells to be used for energy. Where do you want yours to go? By sitting less and challenging muscle – even in short, 5 minute bouts, you are inviting your body to be a better fat burner. Simple as that.
Any muscle challenge will do the trick. Squats, lunges, pushups are perfect. And that also is where the Fit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body Shaping Workouts come in with their dramatic impact on your muscle fitness and body shape. The Fit Quickies are research-driven, physical therapist tested and exercise- physiologist approved exercises designed to target the muscles most responsible for the shape and strength of your body. They can be done anywhere, any time (ie standing in line at market and in the airport waiting lounge, speaking from personal experience!) in short 3 – 5 minute segments. Or they can be hitched up with each other to create 10, 15, or 20 minute fitness breaks. Versatility, effectiveness, and can-do are the operative concepts with Fit Quickies. Combined with a whole-foods, plant based diet – is part of an exciting adventure to healthy fitness success.
Let’s get people eating plants and moving bodies!
Biography:
Award winning Lani Muelrath, M.A., CGFI, CPBN, FNS – The Plant-Based Fitness Expert – (www.lanimuelrath.com), specializes in helping people who struggle with health, weight and energy levels transform their bodies – and their lives – without going hungry or grueling, excessive exercise.
Lani is the author of Fit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body Shaping Workouts with plant-based diet (Penguin) and creator of Lani Muelrath’s Plant-Based Blueprint.
Lani is presenter and celebrity coach for the 21-Day PCRM Vegan Kickstart and VegRun Programs and is the Fitness Adviser for the Dr. John McDougall Health and Medical Center Discussion Boards. She presents regularly for the Complete Health Improvement Project (CHIP). In addition, she is the Health and fitness expert for Vegan Mainstream and Plant-Based Fitness and Healthy Living Examiner at for Examiner.com.
Lani has been a Guest Lecturer in Kinesiology at San Francisco State University and is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology at Butte College. She has a Master’s degree and several teaching credentials in Physical Education, and holds multiple fitness certifications including Fitness Instructor from the American Council on Exercise, Yoga, and Pilates-based instruction from the PhysicalMind Institute.
She is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University and holds a Fitness Nutrition Specialist Advanced Credential from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Lani created and starred in her own CBS TV show, “Lani’s All-Heart Aerobics.” Recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction, she regularly speaks and writes about healthy living, plant-based nutrition, weight loss, and fitness. She overcame her own lifetime struggle with weight over more than 15 years ago when she lost 50 pounds, which she has maintained easily with the tools that she uses to coach others to be successful with in weight loss, body shaping, and health. Multiple resources for you for healthy fitness, weight loss, and plant-based nutrition at www.lanimuelrath.com.
This Post Has 29 Comments
I am thrilled to see this feature up on the Plant-Based Dietitian website! Julieanna, you have been such a source of inspiration AND enthusiastic support about the Fit Quickies book, it's an honor! Thank you, and good luck on the giveaway everyone!
My favorite quickie workout is just stretching or standing on tip tops for balance.
Excellent Janet Sue – we underestimate the power of just sitting less – I go into that in depth in Fit Quickies chapter for exercise prescription. Tip tops? Is that standing on your toes?
I was lucky enough to share a bit of radio show with Lani last month on the Plant Based Junkies radio show (it was my 1 year "plantiversary"). She is awesome and I would love to have her new book!
Hey Jennifer! Isn't the PBJ radio show a blast? And Julieanna is going to be a guest on the show soon too. Thanks for entering today's giveaway!
And I'm excited to be a part of the show with Julieanna in a couple of weeks. The show is a blast!!
One more week!! Cannot wait to chat with you, Julieanna Hever, and Dr. Connie Sanchez. We totally had a blast with Lani Muelrath, and Jennifer Matthews Bucheli last month 🙂
Forgot to add my favorite quickie workout. I would have to say right now it would be chasing my 2 year old. 😉
Jennifer – that actually COUNTS! You go! Clever thinking
me too!!! In my case its a 3 year old … and he's fast!!!
I haven't had a chance to explore Lani's book, so I can't comment on which one is my favorite, yet. I'd love to win a copy though!
Hi Carry! Thanks for coming by the Plant-Based Dietitian today and I see you are in Seattle – my sister is up there and I LOVE love to visit!
Thanks Lani. Your sister and I are pretty lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Next time you're here, make sure your sister takes you to Sutra for dinner: http://www.sutraseattle.com. Your heart and tastebuds will sing!
My favourite exercise is yoga, but I am trying to find ways to donut safely at home and still amp up my workout. I have chronic pain and fatigue and I am scared of getting back into the exercise game and over doing things. I think Fit Quickies would help me on this path, especially since I am a new vegan and anyone who supports that lifestyle helps my emotional health also.
Ashley, yoga is wonderful – it was the first thing it fitness I ever taught. What do you mean by "donut safely at home"? Sorry to hear about the chronic pain and fatigue. Starting up again in small increments sounds like a smart idea. You'll love Fit Quickie #1, "7 Seconds to a Flat Belly" – while powerfully focusing on your deep abdominals, your other body muscculature is only engaged so much as to hold your body in precise and optimal alignment – a feature of all the Fit Quickies. AND getting support for change is HUGE! It is a powerful way to support yourself for change. Fit Quickies also has an entire chapter for Mindset for change and is jam packed with action steps and self-compassion inspiration to help move you forward. Read the FQ reviews on Amazon. com for more – I know you'll love the book. Keep me posted!
Can't wait for my book to be delivered. Ordered it, its on its way.. now if only FedEx would get its act together 🙂
Did she arrive yet? Let me know the minute!
I am just popping over to say HI to my two favorite peeps! Lani, I love your new book, and I am recommending it to everyone. You and Julieanna are experts in your field, and we all have much to learn and gain from both of you. Thanks again for being YOU!
Thanks Laura! Honored by your thumbs up and thrilled to be in the same sentence and team as Julieanna! Together there's nothing we call can't do
My favorite fit quickie has to be the one that works out the area I hate the most, so I choose Inner Thigh Squeeze and Tease.
I don't have a favorite quickie workout, which is why I'd love to win this book! My workouts are longer. I love to run, and I love yoga, also. I do some strength training, but I don't love that as much.
Susan, I like that you like so many things! That is fabulous!
102 entries so far – this is great! Thanks Plant-Based Dietitian and enthusiastic everyone else! This is way too much fun and I'm so happy to share the excitement of the Fit Quickies new release with everyone right here at Julieanna's blog.
My favorite fq is number ALL. No, that is so not true! My favorite one is #3, followed closely by number 8, and I do really like #2.
I do not have a favorite fit quickie workout yet but would love to win the book so I can find a favorite fit quickie workout! When I work out it is usually yoga or a long walk. Need something fast so that I could fit a workout in everyday and not just once in a while.
Hi Regina! I love that you are already walking and in a yoga groove! Depending on what your yoga style is, though, you definitely may need a muscle challenge component and the good news is you can fit it in in 5 minute chunks here and there. Good luck on the contest – you'll love Fit Quickies!
Thank you, Lani! I went ahead and bought the book for myself. I am just waiting to receive it in the mail but would still love to win the book to give to my sister!
I never knew it could be so easy! Thank you so much for bring us something that is finally manageable anywhere! Thank again from a girl down south who has really gained a blessing from blogs,recipes and
and exercises. (FB wouldn't let me correct my post.) lol Appreciate you soooo much Lani!