Fitness & Wellness

Reward Yourself After A Tough Workout

Reward Yourself After A Tough Workout

Published by on April 23, 2020 | Leave a response

It’s natural to want to reward yourself after you do something good. In fact, it helps build that behavior and make you look forward to it. It doesn’t matter whether your task is finishing a term paper, cleaning out the closet or doing a tough workout, an immediate reward is important. However, no matter what you’re rewarding yourself for, there are healthy and unhealthy rewards. While it might not be as important in some kinds of endeavors, choosing a healthy option is ultra important when you’re trying to get fit. Here are a few rewards that encourage you to keep going. Since each person is different, not all of them may be right for you.

Put yourself on the payroll.

You go to work for your paycheck and hopefully because you like what you do, but even if you don’t, that paycheck is still incentive. Consider creating a fund where you tuck away a few dollars, or even some change, every time you workout. Depending on how much you put away, set a specific amount you want to save for something special. No matter what you’re putting away, make the amount be enough so that it reaches your goal in six weeks if you’re working out three days a week. That means 18 different deposits. Within six weeks, you’ll see the results of your efforts and you might not even need that payment.

Give yourself a break.

Giving yourself a break doesn’t mean you don’t workout. It just means you do a workout you love. If you’re sticking with the program at the gym, every other week take one day to roller blade, go dancing, take a hike or swim. Those all help you get into shape, but can be a huge reward. While your favorite activity may not provide a workout to all muscle groups or address all types of fitness, that’s what the gym is for, this is a reward.

Carve out some time to do absolutely nothing.

Of course, that nothing can be anything from just sitting in a quiet, dark room—-I know some moms who would love that—to watching TV, taking a nap or reading a book. It all depends on what is relaxing and rewarding to you. Give yourself a few minutes of rest and relaxation without feeling guilty for doing a good job at the gym or save it up and take a whole hour for yourself once a week.

  • Create goals you can reach each week and take the time to celebrate each success. The goals may be simple, like working out three times that week, or more refined like lifting heavier weight.
  • Track your progress and check your improvement. While most people recommend tracking weight and the number of reps, how about tracking how easy the workout is. When you switch from struggling to easy, not only is it time to move on, it’s also a reward and time to celebrate.
  • One of the reasons people do so well at our gym is that kickboxing is fun. The actual reward is coming to the workout!
  • One study found that while getting paid for working out helps, paying for days you skipped your workout was more effective. Get a workout partner, decide on the value for each workout and you each put 18 times that in a jar (6 weeks, 3 times a week.) Whoever misses a workout, pays the other guy the agreed amount of money.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Low Impact Ways To Get And Stay Fit

Low Impact Ways To Get And Stay Fit

Published by on April 8, 2020 | Leave a response

I love working with clients at One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA. I love to watch how rapidly they improve and the self-confidence they build with each goal they reach. Some of these clients were severely overweight and others had physical limitations that also made high impact exercises dangerous to their joints or health. For those people I used low impact ways to get and stay fit. In most cases, once the weight is shed, they can slowly progress to higher impact workouts. In other cases, maintaining fitness the low impact way is important.

Kickboxing can be low impact.

When you train in kickboxing, whether it’s high or low impact depends on the moves you choose to do. There’s a lot of low impact moves in kickboxing, such as punch and lean lifts, front kicks, back kicks, tap rows and upper cuts with kicks. There’s so many different types of moves in kickboxing that it’s easy to find ones that are low impact and ones that can be modified to become low impact. If you’re working out at One Love Fit Club, make sure you give all the information about limitations to your instructor before you begin. We want to make sure every workout is safe, but also that you get the most benefit.

Don’t go running, take a walk, ride a bike or use a rowing machine.

Running can be the worst thing you can do for your joints, but also one of the best ways to build aerobic strength. You don’t have to risk your joints to get aerobic benefits. You can do several things that may not be the quickest way to get into shape, but it will do it safely. Consider walking. It’s simple and you don’t even have to put on special clothing, unless it’s comfortable shoes. Riding a bike or using a rowing machine also prevents the pounding, while building endurance.

Strength training, whether barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands or kettlebells can be good low impact workouts.

Not all strength training is good for your joints or low impact. Consider box jumping, whether weighted or not, out of the question. However, you can burn a ton of calories and even work on building muscle strength around the knees or other affected joints. That increased strength can actually help the joints by limiting the pressure put on them. Judge each one by whether you’ll be pounding your joints or slowly, rhythmically building muscle tissue.

  • There’s nothing better than swimming for a low impact workout. That’s why you see so many seniors at aqua-aerobic classes.
  • You can get a good workout that’s low impact with yoga, tai chi or aerial yoga. You’ll be surprised at how those simple movements can really wear you out, burn calories and help you get fit.
  • Make those walks a little more difficult by hiking. Hiking is nothing more than walking, but with an adjustment to the terrain. If you really have problems with knee joints, save this one for later, after you’ve made the muscles stronger.
  • Dancing can be either high impact or low impact. Ballroom dancing is definitely low impact, but it’s a toss-up when you’re discussing other types, like hip hop or even ballet. It all depends on whether you’re making moves that put heavy impact on your joints, like jumping. The key is if it makes your joints hurt, don’t do it.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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How Long Should I Stretch For?

How Long Should I Stretch For?

Published by on March 25, 2020 | Leave a response

If you know you need a pre-workout stretching routine or simply want a workout to improve your flexibility, you may be confused on how long to do each and how long to hold a stretch. Those are all good questions that can confuse a lot of people. Stretching is best know for warming up for a workout or cooling down after it’s done. There are two types of stretches used for that, dynamic and static stretching. Dynamic stretching and static stretching. Dynamic stretching is active, like walking lunges. Static stretching is a stretch and hold technique, like a side stretch.

Why are dynamic and static stretches important.

Dynamic stretches are best for warming up and static stretches are important for a cool down. Dynamic stretches get the blood circulating and prepare your muscles for activity. It helps improve agility, speed and helps tighten the muscles, while moving the muscles through their peak range of motion, while decreasing stiffness and increasing muscle temperature. Static stretching pushes muscles to the maximum range of motion before pain starts and that position is held for approximately 30 seconds. These are best done after a workout, since they relax the muscles and reduces the body’s ability to react quickly.

There are recommended times for stretching to warm up or cool down.

When you’re doing warm up stretches, you’re preparing your body gradually for a touch activity by increasing your blood flow to your muscles. A good warm up routine should last about ten minutes and works all parts of the body. If you’ve been running, just walking for ten minutes is a cool down, but stretching is even better. It helps get the heart back to normal rate and lowers the blood pressure. It should also be done for approximately five to ten minutes.

Stretching for flexibility should also be part of your routine.

You should include stretching and flexibility exercises in your workout three to five times a week. Make sure you stretch every muscle group. As you stretch, you need to breathe slowly and hold the stretch approximately 30 seconds, although if it’s hard for you, start at 10 seconds and work up to 30seconds, repeating each move from three to five times. Always keep your stretch smooth and not bouncy or jerky. That can be a recipe for injury.

  • The more flexible you become, the more you should push yourself in each workout. While it’s quite normal to feel a pulling sensation, never continue if there’s a sharp muscle or joint pain.
  • Keep your joints slightly bent, rather than in a straight locked position. You’ll prevent injury by doing that. If you do much strength training, stretching is particularly important to prevent injury.
  • You can create a stretching routine that you do throughout the day, focusing on different parts of the body. It will decrease muscle stiffness, increase range of motion, reduce the risk of injury and help with aches and pains.
  • Stretching can also help improve your posture and lower the amount of stress you feel. It improves overall functional performance and muscle efficiency. Not only does it help circulation, after stretching for a while, you’ll find that back pain tends to disappear.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Getting Back Into It

Getting Back Into It

Published by on March 11, 2020 | Leave a response

I’ve had clients in Chino Hills, CA, that have had to stop working out for a variety of ways and find that getting back into it is tough. There are a variety of reasons they stop their routine of working out and exercising that vary from illness or injury to life simply getting into the way. If you find you’ve had an interruption in your workout routine and now wonder how to start up again safely, here are a few tips that should help.

Whether you’ve skipped the gym for a month, season or even several years, don’t expect to pick up where you quit.

If you’re young and have a pause in your workout schedule, it will probably be easier than someone years older than you who skipped working out for the same amount of time. However, that doesn’t make it impossible, regardless of age or fitness level. The older you are and/or the longer you’ve been away from working out, the more you have to ease back into a workout program. Don’t expect to pick up where you left off if it’s been a while.

Don’t try to push a tough workout schedule.

While getting 150 minutes of mild aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity is important, that doesn’t mean it all has to be done at the gym. At first, especially if you’re really out of shape, if you hurt for two days after a workout, don’t push it, take a brisk walk and give yourself time to recover. The older you get, the harder recovery becomes, but it’s doable. If you’re working with a personal trainer, he or she will vary your workout to adjust for the amount of intensity you need. Start with a lower intensity workout to reintroduce exercise back into your life. Gradually, increase the intensity as your fitness improves.

Don’t make it all about strength, endurance or flexibility. Include all three types of exercise.

Some people love taking long runs and focus strictly on those, but that’s certainly not the way to go. You need all three types of exercises to be healthy. There’s nothing wrong with running or any other aerobic workout, unless you sacrifice strength training and flexibility training and focus just on it. Studies show that while running burns tons of calories, the body doesn’t discriminate on whether they come from fat tissue or lean muscle tissue. It can cause loss of muscle tissue. If you’re focusing only on strength, you’re more apt to injury. Have a workout program that includes all forms of exercise. A personal trainer can help you do it.

  • Even if you’re fit, don’t do an intense workout seven days a week or do strength training every day. Your body needs rest between workouts to repair and build muscle tissue.
  • Focus on form at first. You may think you remember how to do each exercise, but if you try to push yourself, form can get sloppy. Doing the exercise right helps reduce injury.
  • If you can, restart with a workout buddy. Whether it’s going to the gym or taking a walk between gym days, a workout buddy can keep you focused and help you stick with a program of regular exercise.
  • Focus on the prize. Have a goal. It could be to shed pounds, run a specific distance, or finish an entire workout without having to stop and rest between exercises. Track your progress. It will keep you going and make getting back into shape more worthwhile.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Get Outside And Move

Get Outside And Move

Published by on February 21, 2020 | Leave a response

One of the benefits of living in Chino Hills, CA, is the weather. It’s not perfect all the time, but we don’t have the freezing temperatures and snow of the Northern Midwest or the constant stifling heat of other areas. It’s one reason I suggest that people take their workout to Mother Nature and get outside and move. Not only is the fresh air and sunshine good for the body, it’s good for the soul.

You’ll find that working out in nature can improve your mood.

While I don’t recommend running along a busy road, working out or running in a park can improve your day. Working out in an area with plants can certainly lift your spirits. When you’re working out under the sun, it enhances the production of vitamin D. You don’t have to do a formal routine to get benefit, just walking or even gardening can be enjoyable. If you have a few minutes available or are on your lunch break, walk to lunch. Even if you’re in a busy city, the walk and sun will energize you.

You can connect with others when you workout outside.

If you don’t know your neighbors, riding your bike or walking through your neighborhood can help you get acquainted. A walking trip to your favorite coffee shop on a regular basis will help you meet the regulars in your neighborhood. That’s especially important if you’re new to the area. Being social is a key element in being healthy.

Exercising outdoors can revitalize you.

There’s a great deal of research that indicates that working out in the fresh air makes you feel more revitalized than working out in the gym. It can boost your energy, improve your workout and even reduce your tension better. People in various studies reported that they reaped more satisfaction and enjoyment when they exercised outdoors. Other studies show exercising outside lowers blood pressure and heart rate.

  • Take precautions when you move your workout outside. Use exercises that are suitable and consider traffic, weather and even safe tanning and sunscreen. Dress appropriately.
  • If you run outside on irregular terrain, you’ll get more of workout and burn more calories than if you simply ran on a treadmill in the gym. Even the wind resistance can increase the calories you burn.
  • You can make your workout time a family time when you take your workout to the outside. Whether hiking with the kids, running around a playground, riding bikes together or even shooting hoops, it all counts as exercise that also provides family fun and teaches children to live an active lifestyle.
  • Not only is exercising outside a way to change up your exercise program and keep it interesting, you’ll sleep better at night when you take your workout outside.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Why A Food Journal Is Important

Why A Food Journal Is Important

Published by on February 8, 2020 | Leave a response

If you’re constantly on the go, you probably have missed a few lunches or dinners. Instead of sitting down to a regular meal, you grab snacks throughout the day. That type of eating is a big reason people overeat. They forget they had that handful of nuts or those crackers and cheese. A food journal is important and a good way to help you become more aware of not only how many calories you eat, but also whether it’s healthy or not.

How do you start a food journal?

It doesn’t take much. You can go old fashioned with a spiral bound small notebook or update your tracking to your smartphone. You don’t even have to tally those calories along the way, especially if you’re busy. You can always do it later. Some people take a picture of everything they eat, rather than making notes. At the end of the day, they log it and tally the calories. To get even more information, make a note about your mood or how you feel. If you find frustration makes you want to eat crunchy things, be prepared for those times with an apple and ditch the chips.

A food journal is for recording more than just food.

What you drink makes a difference, too. Even if you had the perfect diet for weight loss, but still drank several cans of cola a day, you’d still gain weight over time. You’d also be failing to have a healthy diet. Colas, like most drinks that aren’t plain tea, coffee or water, are filled with sugar. Even diet soft drinks create a problem. Studies show they put on visceral fat—fat around the middle. It’s the most dangerous and difficult to lose fat you can have. If soft drinks are this bad, consider the 500 calories in that Mocha Frappuccino and you get the picture.

Food journaling can help you identify food intolerance and allergies.

Do you find you have indigestion frequently or feel bloated after meals. Take time to jot down when that happens and compare it to your food journal. Noting how you feel before you eat and how you feel afterward can help you find the offending food and save time and money at the doctor’s office. Even if you don’t identify it, having that information readily available for a doctor’s visit will give your health care professional better insight into the problem. Some people use an elimination diet to get to the root cause and find the offending food.

  • When you start tracking every bite you eat, you’ll realize that you often mindlessly grab snacks throughout the day. You’ll be surprised at how many times you grab a few chips or candy.
  • Food journaling helps you learn portion size. You need to learn portion size to record the food you eat and analyze the calorie or nutrient count.
  • When you track your food, you can also balance your macro and micro nutrients easier and ensure you have a balanced diet with adequate protein, carbs and fat.
  • Being more aware of what you eat can help you lose weight without dieting. One study showed that just journaling helped people lose weight over a period of three months.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Fit Men Cook

Fit Men Cook

Published by on January 23, 2020 | Leave a response

At One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, I help people with both a personal training program that includes both exercise and healthy eating. While you can get into shape with exercise, eating healthy is also a top priority. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Working out for an hour, then stopping for a burger, fries and a soft drink or malt, will undo all the effort you put into your workout. Learning how to make healthier meals is important and one reason fit men cook.

Cooking healthy foods can be an adventure and doesn’t have to take that long.

You don’t have to make every meal a gourmet treat, just follow some basics when you prepare meals. First, omit foods that are processed or those that contain added sugar. Eliminating sugar will be tough, since it’s in about everything on the grocery shelves. How do you avoid it? You start with simple fresh ingredients. Make a salad topped with a hard boiled egg, baked chicken or lemon-garlic shrimp. Shrimp or chicken stir fry with a host of vegetables is also quick and easy.

Make healthy cooking even easier.

You can plan a week’s worth of meals ahead, using many of the ingredients in several dishes. Make them all on the weekend and a little extra for future weeks, and freeze or store in the refrigerator. You’ll only have to warm the food when it’s time to eat. In fact, it will take less time than sitting at the drive through line, waiting to order and pick it up.

Real men take charge of their life, just like real women do.

I see both men and women who aren’t ready to give up on themselves. That’s why they came to One Love Fit Club, to get a new lease on life. While it’s a traditional role of women to cook and men to box, we don’t take tradition as gospel, especially when it comes to good health. That’s why boxing is an excellent choice for both sexes and why both men and women need to cook healthy meals to be fit. Finding healthy choices for food should be part of everyone’s fitness program, male or female.

  • If you want to get adventurous and try new things, try spaghetti squash instead of pasta. It’s really delicious and a taste treat you’ll appreciate.
  • Eating healthy can be a simple as substituting peanut butter spread on a honey crisp apple instead of eating a candy bar as a snack.
  • Changing habits doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Start slowly if you’re not ready for the whole program. Skip fried food and opt for baked, air fried, steamed or boiled food and serve an extra vegetable with every meal instead of bread or pasta.
  • We’re so convinced that our program at One Love Fit Club will help you that we offer a 30-day, unconditional guarantee. If you follow the program and don’t see results after 30-days, you’ll get your money back with no questions asked. It’s a win-win for everyone.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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I Don't Feel Like Working Out

I Don’t Feel Like Working Out

Published by on January 9, 2020 | Leave a response

Everyone has had second thoughts about working out at least one time or another. Even I have. Sometimes, you just don’t feel like working out, but those are often the times that you’ll reap more benefits. I’m not talking about those times when you’re actually sick and running a fever. Not only is staying home good for your health, it also protects others at the gym. I’m talking about those times when you’re feeling funky, just not in the mood to exercise.

Are you ready to skip a workout because of stress at work?

Stress can definitely make you exhausted and want to go home, go to bed and forget the stress of the day. That’s not the best way to handle the situation, however. Rather than curling up in a ball under the covers, you need to work off the hormones created by stress or face feeling out of sorts for days. Working out and burning off the hormones of stress can get your body back to normal, while also creating hormones that make you feel more at peace. You’ll sleep far better at night after a good workout.

Are you dog-tired and don’t feel like working out?

It’s time to head for the gym if you’re tired, but have adequate sleep. Sometimes, all it takes to get refreshed is moving around, punching it out and get that feeling of satisfaction when you know you’ve done something kind for yourself. Exercise boosts circulation and that helps revive your system. As noted before, it also can burn off stress hormones that leave you feeling exhausted. You may be tired after a workout, but it’s a different type of tired that is satisfied with a good night’s rest.

Just do it. Go to the gym and start.

You can make a deal with yourself that as long as you go to the gym and do one exercise, you can go home and feel vindicated. So put on your gym clothes and go. After you start the first exercise, you can re-examine whether you want to continue or not. The chances are, you do the next one and before you know it, be into your routine and start enjoying the workout.

  • To avoid future desires to stay home, always have your gym clothes ready to go. The minute you get home from the gym, wash clothes that need to be washed and repack for the next gym visit.
  • One reason a personal trainer gets good results is that by knowing you’re meeting the trainer there, you’re held accountable. Even if you aren’t using a personal trainer, a workout buddy can be just as good. Workout with a friend who you have to meet and you’ll be more apt to go.
  • You aren’t alone. Create a group on social media who check in with each other. Every time you skip a workout or go to one you wanted to skip, report it to the group. You’ll be giving yourself kudos when you go and hanging your head in shame when you don’t. Most people want to skip the shame part.
  • If you haven’t given kickboxing classes at One Love Fit Club a try, do so. You’ll get a bargain at five classes for $29.99 and also get a free pair of gloves. It’s fun and you won’t have to face that workout dread anymore with kickboxing.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Is It Better To Workout In The Morning

Is It Better To Workout In The Morning

Published by on December 26, 2019 | Leave a response

Probably one of the best reasons to workout in the morning is that you tend to get it done before the time-grabbers of the day have begun, making it more likely you’ll get your workout in that day. However, it’s a double-edged sword for those night people, since getting out of bed earlier than necessary is often a struggle.

A morning workout can boost your metabolism.

If you workout in the morning you’ll get a boost in your metabolism that will have you burning far more calories throughout the day. If you want to lose weight, that’s a really motivating factor. One study also showed that working out in the morning tended to improve sleep. A morning workout also gives you more energy throughout the day and super charges your energy level.

What about exercising mid day?

There are excellent reasons to workout on your lunch hour or immediately after work at four or five. The later in the day you workout, the more your body is warmed up and ready to put forth the best performance. Your endurance is higher when you workout later in the day and it decreases the potential for injuries during a workout. Even your body temperature is lower and that also adds to performance. Muscles are more flexible and reaction time is quicker, with blood pressure often being lowest.

The type of workout you do also plays a role in which time of day is best.

Your body improves functioning as the day continues, with protein synthesis being at it’s peak later in the day. It only makes sense that if you’re doing weight training or an intense cardio workout, that use the time later in the afternoon or early evening. Your body is loaded with fuel from the meals throughout the day, unlike early morning where you’ve fasted all night. There are many studies that look at the best time to workout and some found that those who workout later in the day got better results, but others show the early-birds get fitter faster.

  • Some studies also show that if you workout too late in the evening, there’s a potential for it to disturb sleep patterns. The studies also show that it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Some people sleep better after they work out at night.
  • When is the best time for you to workout? The best time is really a personal preference decision. Sure you get it out of the way if you workout early, but for those night owls, just getting up earlier is a problem.
  • No matter what time of day you chose to workout, keep it consistent. If you workout in the morning, stick with mornings and the same goes for evening. It creates a habit that makes it easier to continue.
  • At One Love Fit Club, our classes start as early as 6:00 AM with the last one starting at 7:15 PM, so there’s a time to fit everyone’s preferences, schedule and needs.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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Best Leg Workouts

Best Leg Workouts

Published by on December 10, 2019 | Leave a response

I like to think that at One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, we provide the best leg workouts that are geared to each client’s needs and goals. It doesn’t matter whether your goal is to bulk up, tone and shape or simply build your strength and energy, there’s a workout that’s perfect for you. It’s no secret that kickboxing is by far one of the most beneficial leg workouts that has many other benefits. It not only helps you get legs toned fast and is one of the reasons we focus on it.

Kickboxing is one of the best ways to get the results you want and provides other benefits.

The first of those benefits is that it’s a lot of fun, which means you’ll not only do it more, but look forward to doing it. You’ll work every muscle in your legs when you kickbox. It’s far better than just doing a workout of individual exercises that work specific muscle groups and areas quads, thighs, hamstrings and calves. You’ll not only work every muscle group and area, you’ll also work it on all planes and directions. Best of all, you’ll enjoy the workout, which means you’ll look forward to doing it, adding to your motivation to continue. Kickboxing also works other areas of the body and provides a good aerobic workout, too.

If you want to improve your performance, try these exercises.

I love kickboxing because it’s a driving force to do better and get fitter. In fact, some of the workouts we provide help to improve kicks, while it builds balance, flexibility and strength. This workout allows you to kick harder, higher and maintain balance. Start with a lateral stretch. It looks simple, but if you push to get your legs further apart each time, gets really tough. Next move to lunges, then do squats, leg lifts and leg swings. For improved balance when kicking, try balancing on one leg while lifting the other to a 90 degree angle.

Tone your legs and build strength.

There are great exercises for toning the legs and building strength if you aren’t involved in kickboxing. These are exercises almost everyone has done. You can start with squats, one of the best for the hips, abs and butt, then move to lunges, sculpting thighs, bottom and abs. Plank leg lifts, step-ups and single-leg deadlifts add to upper leg strength. Stability ball knee tucks tone calves and shins. If you want to tone the whole leg, box jumps can do it. Resistance band leg presses tone the quads, hamstrings and calves.

  • If you’re doing box jumps, make sure you have the best form and don’t lock your knees or quads. Also, drop the hips so it absorbs the force of landing. Doing these things will help prevent knee injury.
  • You don’t have to go to the gym to get shapelier legs. Walk more, ride a bike, jump rope or go dancing to help tone those leg muscles. These are all activities you can do anywhere.
  • Get more shapely legs at work or at home by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Climbing steps will help shape your legs and provide a good cardio workout.
  • If you want to try kickboxing for shapelier legs, we can make it affordable. For just $29.99, you can get five classes plus our special One Love Fit Club gloves.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

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