"So with all the excitement of writing my first blog entry for 944, I completely forgot to introduce myself and tell you who I am and what I'm all about! Don't worry; I won't bore you with all the mundane childhood details from when I was 11 at sleep-away camp. I'll try and keep it short and to the point.

Since there are not too many days left in summer, we thought we'd throw you all a few pages from No Gym Required™: Unleash your Inner Rock Star. There some fun text, some stretches, a menu plan, and some recipes. Anyway - hope you enjoy. If you would like a little more, feel free to comment and we'll try to accommodate.

It's no secret that if you're looking to lose weight or improve your overall health, the biggest thing you can do is eat properly. Eating plays such a huge role that a proper and healthy diet has been proven to drastically improve overall health and can severely improve or reverse the effects of certain diseases like diabetes!

There is a lesson there for us all.

From my own experience in working out and training others, I know how important music is to the experience and success of the session—the high and energy that can only come from the right playlist. “Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue,” says The New York Times in “They’re Playing My Song: Time to Work Out,” their story on the issue.
Based on the research of Dr. Costas Karageorghis, an associate professor of sport psychology who rates music according to its “motivational qualities for various physical activities,” The Times reported that the key factors for songs for working out are:

Extract from NO GYM REQUIRED: UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK STAR

1. Walking Lunges

• How to:With a 5- to 8-pound free weight in each hand, start with feet together, and step forward with one leg out, bending the knee at a right angle, not quite touching the ground. Alternate legs and continue across a distance of at least 30 feet. Do not extend the knee forward past the ankle. This puts excessive and unnecessary strain on the knee. As an added benefit, lunges not only work the entire set of glutes, but it will develop a more beautifully defined pair of legs too.

• Rock Star muscle groups: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, abs/core

• Basic tools: Free weights

• Repetitions per set: Length of room (3 sets). Try for a minimum of 10.

• Level: Gold

• Variation: If you don’t have enough space, i.e., you’re in a hotel room, eliminate the walking element and lunge on the spot.

Extract from NO GYM REQUIRED: UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK STAR

Eat natural and organic foods always.This is fundamental to health and therefore fitness, and I cannot stress enough how important this is. Processed foods and those with preservatives are laden with hidden sugars and fats, many unknown to nature. Even meats and so-called natural produce like fruits and vegetables are filled with antibiotics and pesticides, which are proven toxins. Your body’s food-processing mechanism is just not designed to handle them.

Have you noticed the proliferation of health problems from weird new allergies to rampant obesity and the hormonal-related cancers in women that are just a generation old? These new materials are adversely affecting our bodies, and we keep poisoning ourselves with them because we have come to believe they are normal. They are not meant to enter our bodies, and when they do, they sit in our system and clog it up with junk. They not only have no redeeming qualities, but, worse yet, they make us sick and fat. This is why I follow this “fresh from the ground up” principle. My preference is for things grown in the ground and that subsist close to land, whether that’s fresh vegetables and fruit, grass-fed beef, wild (not farmed) fish, or free-range chicken. And opt for organic whenever possible. Yes, it’s more expensive, but I think we Rock Stars know that our health is worth the investment. And this is a commandment: Know thy food sources whenever possible.

"I read Jennifer's book back to front and enjoyed it - thank you for delivering it. She has some good exercises in there and good approach to eating. I like the have one night a week that allows cheating and she mentioned a bottle of red wine. That works for me!"

- L.S. (Toronto, Canada)

Lululemon does a lot to support the health and fitness industry and has gone above and beyond to give people a chance to get to know NO GYM REQUIRED. 

Great exercise taken from No Gym Required: Unleash your Inner Rock Star on how to sculp your arms on a tight deadline.

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Hi Jennifer,

I am now the proud owner of your wonderful book and think it's beyond anything I've read yet as far as nutritional advice, exercise, lifestyle tips, and motivation, etc. I absolutely love the "inner rock star" quips and advice laced throughout and am anxious to now give it to my 12 year old daughter to read because you are the ultimate role model.

Warm regards,

Joanne

No Gym Required: Unleash Your Inner Rockstar is a new entry into the self-help market and despite the whimsy of the title, the book has solid commonsense advice on exercise and nutrition aimed at dispelling the myths surrounding media images of beauty.

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U of M reviews Jennifer's No Gym Required: Unleash your Inner Rockstar and gives it top grades!

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