IN OUR BAG

Read the Aug Issue #56 of Athleisure Mag and see In Our Bag | Commuting In Your Home in mag.

7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD WORKOUT TOGETHER WITH YOUR DOG

It’s not easy to champion an active lifestyle, especially in these current times of restricted movement. Simply switching off the TV, putting on your pair of running shoes, and going out for a brisk walk or jog gets a lot more difficult every day. This leads to the emerging cases of weight-related diseases, which have not only affected humans but their pets as well. 

In 2018, 56% of the nation’s dogs were considered overweight or obese. With this, going out with your dogs to shred a few pounds has never been important. Working out is a tough challenge, but you and your dog can face it together.

There are a lot of good effects on people when they workout with their dogs and vice versa, including better cardiovascular health and improved physical shape. You may not notice it, but exercising with your dogs is also a heartwarming experience that they appreciate a lot from you. To make things even better, you can reward them with healthy treats from Pet Honesty to complete a fun and tiring workout session.

Now’s the time to get off your couches and let your furry friends help you fight the flab. Check out these top reasons to start working out with your dog.

1.      Dogs Boost Your Mood

Aside from a sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress is also another factor that causes a number of different problems in your cardiovascular, physical, and mental health. Luckily, dogs make an excellent workout partner. Their emotions are contagious, and their tail-wagging enthusiasm is just one evidence of that.

Simply having them around keeps stress at bay as they can help reduce the stress hormones in your body. This, in turn, can steady your blood pressure and heart rate, calming your feelings of fear and anxiety. 

2.      They Motivate You

Using your dog as motivation to exercise is a great way to get the calories burning. Dogs have a sharp memory. Try taking them out for a jog on a Monday morning, and repeat this at the same time on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they’ll surely wag their tails and anticipate to do this activity with you.

This being said, let that furry smile and enthusiastic panting push you to put your workout gear! Your dog’s restlessness and inbuilt energy will help you stay motivated to sweat out the calories, especially if you have contemplations of skipping your workout activities on a certain day.

3.      Dogs Are Great Social Companions

Our dogs bring us a lot of opportunities for social interaction, especially in these difficult days. Let your four-legged furry friend start the walk for you. A weekly jog around the neighborhood or frequent play-fetch in the park with your dog encourages a healthy conversation and interaction with like-minded people outside.

You can also get more accomplished steps and some much-needed fresh air every day. If dogs naturally need to stay connected to the outside world to remain physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy, then so do you.

4.      Furry Friends Don’t Flake Out

Getting a workout buddy that never flakes out is a good motivator to keep that energy running. Your dog will never weasel out of your workout sessions because their schedule of activities depends on you, too. The good thing is that since your dog lives with you, they won’t complain nor tell you that they won’t make it.

Unlike your human buddies that’ll undoubtedly fail you when their commitments get in the way, dogs are always ready to go out with you. They’ll never get bored or find something more interesting to do. When exercising with your dog, you’ll be able to push harder and stay consistent with your daily workout routine.

5.      They Keep A Steady Speed

To maximize its health benefits, going out for a daily walk requires an active pace. Walking for about 15-17 minutes per mile is the best pace for you, and is considered a natural speed for dogs. This also encourages you to have a natural speedometer, which is far more amusing especially if you find that your dog is sniffing around on every corner.

However, if you see your dog pausing frequently, you’re probably going too slowly so try speeding up to keep them out of boredom.

6.      It’s Free Of Charge

When your furry friend is running with you, there’s no need to spend a lot. Thus, working out with your dog saves money on gym memberships, weekly spin classes, and even on spending money on the latest fashionable exercise equipment.

Also, having a good run with your dog helps you escape the confines of crowded and sweaty gyms. Going out is also a great way to get some natural glow on your skin.

The bonus part? Instead of spending money, you’ll get paw-filled hugs and slobbery kisses!

7.      Working Out Is Good For Them, Too!

Working out works for your dog, too! Just like you, dogs thrive on exercise because it makes them happy, healthy, and strong.

A few sweats with your dog will help keep their heart, lungs, joints, as well as their digestive and circulatory systems healthy. Exercising can also control their weight and expend energy. If you’ve ever noticed your dog zooming or racing extra fast around your house, then try to burn their excess energy by working out.

Since most dogs get easily bored, you can keep their not-so-fun behaviors under control when you bring them to your regular workout session. Exercise may distract them from destructive chewing, biting, and digging, helping calm their anxieties.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Treat

Overall, dogs make wonderful companions because they give you the motivation to get out and exercise. In addition, spending time with them feels more like playtime because it distracts you from constantly checking the calories you burned for the day.

But remember, it’s also important to go for a vet visit for your dog before bringing them to your exercise routine. Also, make sure that you’re both well-nourished, well-hydrated, and well-rested to get the most out of your daily health routine.

Working out is a win-win for both you and your dog because you’ll both come home exhausted and ready to cuddle up for a post-exercise nap. These tidbits of fun, sweaty moments with them are simply incomparable, and the activities you do together are physically and emotionally rewarding.

BING3WATCH | SUCCESSION

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see BING3WATCH | SUCCESSION in mag.

HOW ESSENTIAL IS NATURAL LIGHT TO YOU?

Natural sunlight is an essential part of maintaining health, not just in the body, but in the home too. Natural sunlight in the home isn’t just about energy and lighting bill reduction. A dark and dismal room has an oppressive atmosphere. It is often damp too, although some humidity is needed to prevent dry skin, a room that is too damp leads to mould, which can cause breathing difficulties and allergic reactions. Roof windows might be the only way to add natural sunlight to a room.

Improved Mood

The amount of sunlight we receive impacts our moods. Sunlight increases production of happy hormone serotonin. Apart from the physical impact of walking into a room that is light and airy compared to a space that is dark and dismal, you feel lighter and brighter in the space flooded with sunlight before serotonin is even released. This improved mood can even increase productivity, which has a circular effect, leading to a better mood.

Relaxation

It is hard to relax in a space that is dark and dismal. Even painting the walls in light and airy colours with light furnishings doesn’t make the space any less oppressive. Sunlight is needed to help put the body at ease. With a room flooded with natural sunlight, you’ll stop wondering about what is lurking in the shadows and find yourself relaxing.

Body Clock

Sunlight is required for sleep. Natural sunlight exposure in the mornings helps the body wake up in a way coffee and a sunlamp or artificial light don’t. Sunlight coming into a room prior to waking not only helps warm a room but it slowly and pleasantly lifts a person from deep sleep before the alarm goes off. Exposure to sunlight throughout the day even helps a person fall asleep at night. Being pleasantly woken instead of a jarring alarm and being able to fall asleep at night reduces stress. Reduced stress improves moods and cognitive abilities as does higher quality sleep.

The Room Itself

A dark and dismal room impacts mood, but it also leads to damp. When a room is damp, mould starts to grow. Apart from looking unsightly and smelling pretty terrible, it can lead to breathing difficulties. It also ruins softs furnishings and rare LPs. A dark and dismal room isn’t particularly inviting and can make people feel on edge.

Exposure to natural sunlight is vital to health. Sunlight helps you feel better in more ways than one. It even boosts your immune system and helps balance hormones. Vitamin D, otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin, is essential for healthy bones.

Natural sunlight in a room does more than improve moods, but improved moods are a good place to start experiencing the benefits of sunlight. Each room in a house needs adequate daylight for the health and mental health of a home’s residents. So much time is spent inside that it is vital to have windows. Light and airy spaces are inviting and warm.

BINGELY STREAMING

MILLION DOLLAR BEACH HOUSE

Netflix Originals

Netflix

We can't get enough of reality shows in general and when it comes to those that are focused on real estate, sign us up! When you're finished bingeing watching Selling Sunset, make sure that you check out Netflix's newest show that focuses on Nest Seeker International's agents as they sell homes in the Hamptons. As is the case with this formula, we'll be introduced to an array of personalities of realtors and brokers that are taking on a hot destination, watching how they do their business, how they stay ahead of the competition and how they work together as an agency as well as individually! In addition, we can transfer our wanderlust through them and be transported to new locales. Of course, we're definitely waiting to see what kinds of drama they will get into as well!

I MAY DESTROY YOU

HBO

HBO + HBO MAX

We meet Arabella Essiedu (Michaela Cole) and her friends in London living their best lives. Arabella is a Twitter star turned author working on writing her 2nd anticipated book while in the throws of procastination and serious writer's block, with her best friend Terry Pratchard (Weruche Opia) who is a struggling actor and her other best gay male friend Kwame (Paapa Essiedu). We follow Arabella as we focus on her finishing her book. She takes a trip to Italy and meets a man who calls her out on her vices, when she is back home, she opts to take another break to go out and is sexually assaulted; however, she spends the remainder of the season putting together the details, dealing with her stages of grief, what it means to be a victim and getting her power back.

In the midst of her focus on herself, she also learns how her interactions as well as being present with her friends shift as well. Ultimately, she realizes that after a year since the incident, she has to get her life together and she can't do it alone. This powerful and emotional series just completed so it's worth doing a proper binge.

EVEN THE RICH: THE HOUSE OF VERSACE

Wondery

Spotify + Wondery+

Even the Rich delves into some of the richest families, couples and systems and shows that although they have wealth, access and lives that are on another level, they also deal with the same issues of loss, betrayal and ambition. This season has included a number of stories that are covered within a few episodes from the Royal family, The Murdochs, Gettys, Beyoncé & Jay-Z and they are currently delving into The House of Versace. Within each story, there is a primary focus such as how Gianni's siblings Donatella and Santo's initial involvement within the the family business shifted over time - especially after his death.

This conversational pop culture podcast is hosted by Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore- Williams and is filled with anecdotes, stories from and behind the headlines as well as their own insight into what took place.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Bingely Streaming in mag,

LIVING WITH PURPOSE WITH BORIS KODJOE

As we begin to transition from summer to the fall, we've all been navigating this crazy year that continues to challenge us as we go about our days. For many, it has encouraged us to go beyond ourselves to live our best lives, bond with our families and to put a lot of good back into our world.

This month's cover is Boris Kodjoe, who we have enjoyed in Showtime's TV series Soul Food, CBS' Code Black, NETFLIX's House of Cards and on ABC's Station 19. We talked about how he came to acting, preparing to shoot the 4th season of this show. We also talk about how he has utilized his platform in order to provide masks for First Responders through his #HopeForHeroes initiative, focusing on social justice as well as inspiring everyone to get their physical and mental health aligned in order to be their most optimized selves.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been a fan of yours since Showtime’s Soul Food and seeing the interaction with the Josephs family and how they remind us of a number of our own family members and then other shows that are our favorites from CBS’ Code Black, Netflix’s House of Cards and now ABC’s Station 19, what was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an actor?

BORIS KODJOE: You know, it was a process because I started going to acting class in my mid 20’s because I wanted to learn to be able to speak better English. Growing up in Germany and coming over here for college, I still wasn’t a very good English speaker. I could communicate but I had a very strong German accent. So in order to be able to speak better, a friend of mine suggested that I should go to acting class to show me how to enunciate and breathing techniques and stuff. That’s when I started going to class. Throughout auditing some classes and going through that and then being able to put up some scenes and stuff. I fell in love with it. It wasn’t a very traditional way to get into the business, but that’s my story.

AM: That’s a great story! At what point did you feel that you had made it as an actor? Was it a specific role, a show, an accolade or just the body of work that you had created?

BK: You know, I’m not sure what that is in terms of making it as an actor, right? I think that we have different objectives at different points in our careers and our lives really. It’s a journey and once you understand that, you can let go of some of the pressure that you put on yourself. Instead of focusing on the destination, you focus on enjoying the journey and I guess the moment that I realized that this was my way of making a living, was halfway through Soul Food. It’s when I realized, “ok, I am starting my career and this is what I am going to be doing." It’s a great feeling when you have an idea on which direction your journey is going to go. Even if it is just for a short moment in time. I’ve been lucky that I have been on this journey for 20 years now.

AM: Do you have a specific process when you’re deciding whether you’re going to take a role or a specific show? You take on so many characters that have such a depth to them. How do you decide what makes sense for you?

BK: You want to be able to relate to what the character is going through, We’re in a business where we get to work with so many talented people. I’ve learned so much with different actors, directors and producers so it’s a combination of the scripts, the production, who’s involved and also where I am in my life. I have 2 kids, I’m married, we live in Los Angeles and sometimes, I don’t want to spend 5 months in Bulgaria to shoot a movie in the winter, right? Because the kids need me around and I need to be around. In a case like that, I would say, “ok I am going to do a show here.” So it all depends on what the situation is at the time and what the script looks like.

AM: We enjoy seeing you as Captain Robert Sullivan on Station 19. What is it about the character that made you want to play him and what was it about the show that made you want to join that cast?

BK: It started with Shonda Rhimes. I have been a fan of hers for a very long time and I have always wanted to work with her and this was a great opportunity for me to be a part of Shondaland. Her and Krista Vernoff are changing the way that we watch TV. So that was the first reason and then the cast is family. They’re just beautiful, beautiful people that I have grown to love and just become close with. And then it’s fun to play a fire fighter. That’s something that I had wanted to do as a child. You know – that or being a cowboy or a train conductor haha. It was a childhood dream come true to be able to ride in these big trucks, put on the gear and be able to run around to be able to represent these real live heroes on the front lines. They’re risking their lives every single day for us – it’s an honor.

AM: This past season, we got to know a lot more about Robert as a person. We specifically remember when we watched the episode about ICE coming to raid the restaurant and looking at how impactful that scene was and your character was telling Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval) about why he felt compelled to intervene. Were there elements of your family history that were utilized in that scene and was that hard to play?

BK: Yes and no. Obviously, it’s a creative process so there were some fundamental building blocks that were taken from my real life. My maternal grandfather fought in the war in Germany and so he had a whole lot of stories that he told me when I was a really young kid that I remember. They obviously took creative license in order to make it applicable to the story and to create an analogy to what’s going on today. Which I thought that they did a great job with.

AM: Are there any nuggets that you can tell us about the upcoming season and when are you guys going back into production?

BK: We actually go into production this week!

AM: What!

BK: Yeah, they put a lot of safety measures in place in order to keep us safe and to keep everyone – the whole crew safe that is involved in the production. ABC and Disney, they have done a really good job in making sure that we are all safe and that we can do our jobs.

I have to speculate myself because I’m not sure what’s going to happen. All I can tell you is that clearly my character has been through a lot – getting married to Andi (Jaina Lee Ortiz), having the surgery to alleviate some of the chronic pain that he has been suffering through for years, the substance abuse that got him in trouble – so there are a lot of things that are at stake right now for Robert. In this new season, clearly we’re going to address all of that on top of this new world that we’re all living in – this COVID world. There’s also social justice and equality with the struggle that we’re in. Krista Vernoff, Shonda and everyone at Shondaland take pride in creating dialogue by way of storylines that are introduced that challenge people to confront some of the issues that we are dealing with. So I am certain that we will deal with some of them – the real life issues whether it’s the pandemic or the racial justice issues that we’re dealing with still and again. I’m sure that we will see some of these pop up in our scripts.

AM: We’re sure about that too. One of the things that we love about this show is the fact that there are these great crossover episodes with Grey’s Anatomy. How is it for you to be able to engage with that whole cast as well as to go into that portion of their audience as well? That must be such a fun thing that you are able to do a bit of a dual play there.

BK: You know, the Grey’s Anatomy family is a part of our family. We’re part of their family, they’re also tremendous human beings over there and they are super talented and super nice. Anytime we get to play with the other team, it’s always a lot of fun. Again, it’s an extended family so everybody is real close, we love each other and it’s a really great situation for us to be in.

AM: With COVID-19, it’s changing a lot of things that we would normally do. We’ve been preaching to our readers the importance of washing their hands, wearing face masks and social distancing. We first learned about GymWrap last year via our cover, WWE + E! Total Divas' Trinity Fatu/ Naomi who has been an ambassador for the brand. You have this amazing initiative with #HopeForHeroes. Can you tell us more about that and how GymWrap is involved as I know your wife, Nicole Ari Parker is the founder. How did it come together and what are you doing?

BK: Watching the news everyday in the beginning of March and realizing the devastating impact that this pandemic has had on this entire country and the entire world. Seeing how many people are struggling to put food on the table, losing their jobs and the essential workers and the first responders and all these people are putting their lives at risk and risking their safety every single day to keep us safe. They’re struggling without PPE and without appropriate gear to keep them safe, Nicole one day said, “hey, why don’t we manufacture masks? We have a great operation with great people that have been supporting us and have been working with us.” So we called the team together and said, “how quickly can we manufacture these masks?” Credit to our team, they did an amazing job to turn this around really fast and we were able to create the #HelpOurHeroes initiative. With this initiative, we have now shipped over half a million dollars worth of free masks for our heroes on the frontlines, essential w orkers and first responders. I’m so thankful for the support that we have gotten from our fans and from everybody that’s out there who has gotten together to support these initiatives and those who have bought these masks from us.

It’s the least that we can do. We’re in a fortunate position where we can support others or can lend a hand, I think that it is our responsibility to lead collectively and individually. We jumped right in. Again it was Nicole’s idea and the GymWrap team got together really quickly and hopefully we will be able to keep on doing this for a long time.

AM: It’s important while this is going on for everyone to come together and coalesce around this. While we have this pandemic going on, we also have the focus of social justice and the #BlackLivesMatter movement taking place as well. We enjoyed seeing on your Instagram that you have actually utilized your platform to have these videos to talk about deconstructing buzzwords and hot button issues. Why was that so important for you so that people can be aware and understand all of the different things that are surrounding this issue?

BK: Being Black and living in this country, I think it requires you to have a sense of awareness and it requires you to use whatever tools you have – voice or platform to support the movement. In order to support our struggle for equity, our struggle for equality, our struggle for social justice or equal housing, education, healthcare. Those should all be basic human rights granted to every single person who lives here and it hasn’t been that way in 400 years.

To me, it’s an inherent responsibility that POC, Black people carry that has to be expressed and voiced. That’s how we raise our children, we have these dialogues with these children every single day to equip them with knowledge to teach them about history – to make them understand how important it is for them to speak up and to be a part of the solution. I think we’re in a pivotal moment in history where the #BlackLivesMatter movement has touched every corner of the planet. We see more people than ever get on the streets and protest and voice their outrage about what has happened and not just with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. The systemic racism that has been prevalent here for hundreds of years and has been put in place systematically and really mechanically to create this huge gigantic, generational wealth gap and inequality. I always try to see the silver lining and I think that the pandemic has helped us focus on these social justice and equality issues because in the past 6 months, when everything came to a standstill we were finally able to focus on this movement and not be distracted by other things.

That’s how I look at it. I think it’s important that we continue to mobilize and galvanize everybody out there to co-ordinate and make sure that we don’t just stand here and watch. I think it’s important that we formulate a real plan for action and that we appeal to our allies. Whether it’s corporations, organizations, communities and individuals, to state very clearly that it’s not enough not to be racist anymore. You have to be anti-racist. Because racism is not just the overt violence and the hatred that we see on TV. Racism is also ignorance. Racism is apathy. Racism is privilege. That’s all part of the system that has been put in place to systematically and continuously oppress Black people. It’s time for white people to join in and speak up and not look away because they’re not affected or they think that they’re not affected. People need to realize that with equality, with economic equity comes a stronger economy. So, this shouldn’t be a divisive issue movement. This movement should band us together in order to create a better country, a stronger country, an economically stronger country and a more equitable and equal country.

AM: We have the election coming up, do you plan on using that as well to make sure that people are registered to vote, the methods by which that they can do so and additional points that you will be speaking to?

BK: Absolutely! That’s where it starts. We have to mobilize and go out and vote. We have to fight for our right to be able to access polling stations and not fall into the trap of being discouraged to get out and vote. Every single vote counts. My wife and I have definitely supported the voting efforts. It’s so important and this election is the most important election that we have ever had. It’s crucial that we get this guy out of the White House as soon as possible.

AM: With all of these things that are going on as a parent, how difficult is it during these times to educate, protect and deal with all of these issues that have converged together at one time. We watch children who are involved from mask wearing, socialization, social justice etc. It must be a lot as a parent to have to navigate all of these things.

BK: It is a lot. The masks – the psychological effects of the pandemic, the social justice issues that are raging, not being able to see your friends, sitting in the house, being constricted, not having an outlet, not being able to go out and play basketball with your boys. Those are things that are going to affect children even as we’re going back to school now. There’s millions and millions of children now that don’t have the opportunity to engage online the way that they should because they don’t have the access to work wireless, they don’t have the devices, they don’t have parents present in the home because they have to work. It’s terrible – it’s really terrible and we are going to see children struggle for a long time because of these past 6 or 7 months. It’s sad. A so called super power, one of the top developed Western industrialized countries who are leading the world in technology and in science – arguably in the top 3 – isn’t able to appropriately support children in their schooling. It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing that the government hasn't done the necessary things to prevent almost 200K+ people from dying, to prevent over 5M people from being infected, to put testing in place for everybody as well as contact tracing. It’s absolutely embarrassing and disgusting. The effects are going to be felt for years and years to come and our children will have the burden and shoulder the weight of this year for the next 10 years. I’m really upset about it because it’s really so unnecessary.

AM: Wow it is.

One of the things that we looked up in preparing to talk with you today is the inaugural ESSENCE Full Circle Festival in Accra Ghana. We know a number of people that attended this event last year. What was the purpose of this event and why was it so important for you to be involved in it?

BK: It was important because first of all the president from Ghana, his excellency Nana Akufo-Addo he asked Bozoma Saint John and myself if we would host an event celebrating the Year of Return (Editors Note: The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” was a major landmark spiritual and birth-right journey inviting the Global African family, home and abroad, to mark 400 years of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia which affected the kith and kin that were forcefully taken from Africa. This event celebrated the cumulative resilience of all the victims of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade who were scattered and displaced through the world in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.) which was obviously in 2019. Of course we agreed, Bozoma was born in Ghana and my father is from Ghana. I have a very close relationship with the country and with my family there. We started working on Full Circle Festival as a celebration of our ancestry and our collective accomplishments looking back 400 years since the beginning of the slave trade. Traditionally, Western media has changed the picture of Africa that is disgraceful. That it’s a place and continent of war, corruption, poverty, hunger and starvation and this is just not true. We wanted to change that narrative and show people that Africa first of all is not a country, that Africa has the youngest population in the world of any other continent and that Africa also has 3 of the fastest growing economies in the world. Their technology and manufacturing is thriving in Africa. There’s amazing economic development opportunity on the continent. We come with a great culture and diversity with languages, food, music and beautiful locations. Not just for tourism, but like I said, for engaging in business.

The world’s reaction to what we did was tremendous. I had no idea that we would start this title wave and we ended up being able to contribute to adding $1.9B to the Ghanian economy in 1 year just by way of Year of Return. The increased interest and excitement of not just Ghana but Africa as a whole. It’s important for African Americans or any other members of the diaspora to understand that a lot of the issues or most of the issues that we’re dealing with here are directly related to the fact that we don’t know our history.

We don’t know where we came from. To reconnect with our ancestry and our heritage – our culture also means that we are reconnecting with our source. We’re reconnecting with our strength. We’re reconnecting with our power. We’re reconnecting with our beauty and our diversity. That redefines how we see ourselves and it redefines how we see our future and where we’re going with our future. It’s a tremendously important movement to create a bridge to our diaspora and the continent for more and more people to visit and to experience and to engage with the continent.

AM: I know that you have done 2 events there already, do you foresee doing other types of this nature obviously as things settle themselves down in terms of travel etc.

BK: Absolutely – we’re not going to stop. After Full Circle Festival started 2 years ago, other African countries started inquiring about having similar events and bringing more people. It’s a proud and humbling thing to be able to contribute to more and more people experiencing the continent.

AM: You’re known for being in really great shape and we enjoy finding out about workouts that you do that we should include in our own routines. Do you have workouts that you can share?

BK: I think that rather than focusing on specific exercises, it’s important to understand that you can be healthier, stronger and happier if you start including some healthy habits into your life. It doesn’t mean that you have to go into the gym for an hour and a half every day. All that means is that you commit to doing something each day to start adding some healthy habits to your day. That could be sitting for 5 minutes in total stillness and observing your breathing when you get up, meditate, doing easy and simple exercises for 5 or 10 minutes a day. Whether it’s squats or sit-ups or pushups – whatever you can do. You’ve got to start where you are. Oftentimes, we’re discouraged when we look at exercise videos and all of this advice that’s out there because we’re not there yet. Or it may not be the level that we’re able to obtain with the 6-packs and the gladiator physiques and it’s just not real for us because we have a job, responsibilities, bills to pay and kids to raise. We don’t have time to spend on ourselves for an hour and a half a day.

So with KoFit, we’re trying to show people that all it takes is 5 or 10 minutes a day to start moving and changing your life in a different direction. That’s what it’s all about. We do it as a family because it is more fun and it’s more sustainable.

AM: It’s fun to see that whole dynamic in there with KoFit. Why is health and wellness so important to you individually as well as to your family as a whole? AthleisureMag.

BK: Health and wellness is important because it goes hand in hand with your mental and your spiritual right? If you want to optimize your potential as a person, you can’t leave out your body. The body is where your emotions live and your physical dictates how you feel. If you are morbidly obese and struggling with conditions like heart disease and onset diabetes, you can’t fully enjoy your life and it’s just a fact. A lot of these issues we’re dealing with on a health level are avoidable. It’s important to claim your power by way of taking care of your body because your body is taking care of you. You have been blessed with your physical being, why not take care of it? The physical, the mental and the spiritual goes together. If one is lacking, you can never hope to maximize your potential.

AM: How do you take time for yourself as well as to focus on your coupleship with Nicole? It’s great to see you guys do projects and philanthropy together. How do you make sure that you guys are staying connected and that you take the time that you need to take care of yourself?

BK: You have to make it a priority and you have commit to each other and make sure that you are present, attentive and that you take care of each other and family comes first. There are struggles and you have to put in that effort and work. Sometimes there’s miscommunication and we go through our own things and go through patterns of things that we have had since we were kids that rear their ugly heads when we’re adults. We have to then confront those things and then talk, and talk some more and then some more. It’s a process – a journey. I think that you have to be able to give each other the space to make mistakes and not run for the hills. That’s the key.

AM: That’s true.

BK: Yeah, a lot of people when they see a little bit of a challenge, they run. So I think that’s one of the things that we really believe in that – I’m going to mess up, you’re going to mess up let’s give each other the space to grow, evolve and make mistakes. We all have flaws and great qualities like everyone else.

AM: Are there projects coming up that we should keep an eye out for that you’re working on?

BK: We’re going to really dive into KoFit the next couple of months because there’s no gyms open and even if, people are hesitant to go out and pay all of this money for gym memberships. We want to give people tools to stay healthy and happy at home. That’s not just working out, it’s mindfulness, breath work, meditation, yoga – things that as a culture we haven’t traditionally believed in but it is an important part of us being healthy and strong. We’re going to dive into that – my brother, his wife, Nicole and the kids to show people how easy it is to start creating some of these habits.

Then I’ll start working on Station 19 which will take me from all the way to May. We’re going to shoot from this week to May. It’s going to keep me busy for the next 9 months. I’m also working with the 2% Initiative that Robert Smith has introduced recently. It allows us to create pathways for big organizations and corporations of Fortune 100 companies to support Black communities across various sectors whether it’s banking, education, social justice, media, entertainment to start making some headway in reducing the generational wealth gap.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be?

BK: The most important part of my legacy is my kids. Those are 2 human beings that I raised and will be here long after I am gone. Hopefully, I have raised them in a way that has allowed them to find their purpose to be kind, empathetic, considerate and treat people with respect and love. Then I want to be known as some body who tried his best, learned from his mistakes and has hopefully touched a few people.

AM: We like talking to our changemakers as they inspire people and they are doing amazing things inside and outside of their verticals and communities. Who are 3 people that you have been inspired by that have assisted you where you are today?

BK: There are so many people – wow. I’ve always been inspired by great writers. Ta Nehisi Coates he’s a trailblazer, an activist that I really admire and respect. Right now, these are some of the people that I think are really important to the movement. Nikole Hannah Jones who started the 1619 Project with the New York Times. She’s somebody I admire and look up to. I admire some of the NBA players that are outspoken like LeBron and Chris Paul and people who are actively using their huge gigantic platform for change with police reform, social justice – I really admire these guys who are really outspoken right now.

IG @BorisKodjoe

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT + BACK COVER, PG 16, 38, 42 + 44 Brandon Bobbins | FRONT + BACK COVER, PG 16, 38 + 42 Editorial Design by Athleisure Mag | PG 18 - 37 + 40 ABC Network Stills, Promo and BTS |

Hear activist, philanthropist and Station 19's, Boris Kodjoe on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Living with Purpose with Boris Kodjoe in mag.

HAIR COLOR TRENDS SWEEPING THE NATION

85% of women color their hair at least once every couple of months. Trends are always changing as hair dyes and treatments advance. Hair dyes are no longer made with the levels of harsh chemicals and peroxides that they were 40 years ago. This means that you can always have your hair dyed without it becoming frazzled or feeling like straw. This year, like Pixie Lott and Khloe Kardashian, many women are choosing to embrace their natural hair color. Vivid colors are on trend too, to add some fun and pizzazz. 

Going back to the natural color

Between 75 and 85% of the world have black and very dark black hair, and around 11% are naturally brunette. Yet many dark-haired women dye their hair lighter, or add highlights. If you do this, your hair will need regular maintenance, as it grows around 1.5cm every month. You can rock and embrace the roots, or keep dying your hair monthly. Many women are finding that it is difficult to keep up, or it's too expensive, so they are going back to their natural hair-color. Rather than waiting months (or years) for the dyed color to grow out, the easiest way to go natural is to use a hair color removal treatment. It is the gentlest way to remove hair dye, rather than dying your hair darker and damaging it. 

Vivid hair color

Vivid, bright colors from magentas to violets are all the rage at the moment. These shades are now available to buy in mainstream stores, and not just specialist salons. If you are planning on dying your hair yourself, however, you need to read the instructions carefully. Many of the colors only work on pre-lightened hair that is a very light blonde. If you are lightening your hair first, you should make sure that you choose a product that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that can damage your hair further. Vivid hair colors are generally semi-permanent - this means that they sit on top of your hair rather than penetrating it completely. If you are planning on having unicorn hair for a long period of time, you will need to maintain it. 

Shades of fall

If you like to regularly change your hair color, take your inspiration from the seasons. As we move into fall, shades of copper, chestnut, russet and golden orange are on trend. These colors are incredibly flattering for most skin tones and won’t give you a washed-out look if you have pale skin. If you want to give your dyed hair an extra blast of shimmer and shine, use a gloss treatment that will add natural highlights, making your fall color hair glow in the sunshine. If you want your hair to stay silky and shiny long after you have dyed it, make sure that you also use a strengthening and nourishing treatment such as Olaplex, and you should also choose shampoos that are sulphate free.

This year, platinum blonde is on the back burner, and shades of dark brown and walnut are on trend. These natural colors are easier to maintain, and keep on looking beautiful. 

CBD PRE ROLLS - A BREAK FROM THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF SMOKING

Living healthy can get expensive but it’s worth the investment. That is if you’re purchasing the right goods. It’s only considered a waste when you’re buying ineffective things. If that were the case, you might as well have bought the ordinary version of it that’s way cheaper. Finding a product that delivers satisfactory results can be difficult being that the market is concentrated with different brands.

It’s difficult but it’s not entirely impossible. All you need to do is do your extra research before you start adding things in your cart. This doesn’t apply to everything, but giving in to the current trends can also lead you to promising items. You see, there can only be two reasons why something is suddenly blowing up. The first is because of the bandwagon effect and second, is that it’s producing good results.

An example of the latter is CBD. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been changing the game for natural remedies ever since it was introduced in the market. While some people assume that the existence of this substance was discovered in place of marijuana is illegal, this article says otherwise. Now, due to its rising popularity, it’s being produced by multiple brands, in different forms. One of which is the new best friend of tobacco and cannabis smokers, CBD Pre-rolls.

What Is CBD?

CBD is a substance derived from the sister plant of the famous marijuana, known as hemp. Cannabidiol can be extracted from both sources, the only difference is that marijuana contains THC at a higher level in comparison to hemp. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is a component naturally found in Cannabis. It’s considered to be toxic for the reason that it’s producing the psychoactive effects or the so-called “high” among users. On the other hand, hemp can only carry a maximum of 0.3% THC, making it a safer origin.

Hemp-derived Cannabidiol has little to no trace of THC and still provides the same health benefits as the other Cannabis plant. These benefits include the following:

1.       It Helps Combat Cancer

2.       Manage Seizure Attacks

3.       Alleviates Chronic Pain

4.       Has Neuroprotective Properties

5.       May Reduce Skin Inflammation

6.       Reduces Anxiety

The plethora of benefits you’d be reaping has urged people to find creative ways to get the substance in their system (https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/cbd-oil-beginners-guide). CBD can now be taken orally through oils, tinctures, capsules, pills, and edibles. There are also topical variations such as lotions and creams, lastly is through vaping or smoking it. Inhaling Cannabidiol is studied to be the fastest way to activate it because it travels directly through the lungs. With the high rate of CBD smokers, multiple companies are now selling pre-rolled Cannabidiol.

CBD Pre Rolls

Pre-rolled CBD is created by grinding high concentrated CBD hemp, placed on a paper, and then rolled. In short, it’s a joint made out of hemp flower that’s pre-rolled for the customer’s convenience. Manufacturers have cultivated a special breed of cannabis to create these products. The big difference between Cannabidiol joints and the typical marijuana stick is that the former doesn’t get you euphoric. This might come as odd since what’s the purpose of joints when you can’t experience the psychoactive effects.

However, these products are for individuals who aren’t a big fan of how their bodies reacted to cannabis. It’s also considered to be a great transitioning product for both marijuana and tobacco smokers. Unlike oils that come in heavy glass bottles, CBD pre-rolls are more convenient to carry around. Pre-rolls can come in different variations so that users aren’t limited to one type. They can be in the form of cones, joints, or cigars. 

Depending on your preference you can choose which of these you find yourself more comfortable in.

Tobacco

There are 1.3 tobacco users worldwide, and up to 8 million die each year. The alarming number of deaths has made tobacco one of the biggest health threat that humanity has ever faced. However, despite these claims, people are still keen on using it. Peer pressure, curiosity, relief from stress, and plain pleasure are among the common reasons why people indulge in this activity. What you thought was just a one-time thing became an addiction for life.

Tobacco is composed of an addictive drug known as nicotine. This substance can reach your brain seconds after a single puff. That’s why users found it impossible to stop once they’ve started. Not only is it difficult, but stopping would also mean experiencing withdrawal symptoms which is never pretty. It’s a good thing Cannabidiol was discovered or otherwise it would be a different situation for tobacco smokers.

When you find that you just can’t give up smoking, you can slowly transition over CBD pre-rolls instead of completely quitting. Not only can it satisfy your need to smoke but it also gives you the benefits of Cannabidiol.

ORAL CARE WITH DR. BRIAN HARRIS

As we continue through the summer and begin to transition into the fall, many of us know that planning to take care of things that we need from hair appointments, doctor check-ups and more have been impacted by COVID-19 with closures of offices, feeling uncertain about the safety protocols and timing. Many have utilized services such as telemedicine, online/Zoom tutorials for their hair care and more. One of the most common questions our readers have asked us about involves whether they should go to their dental appointment, make one or if there is a way that they can do maintenance from home until their next appointment. In the current times, this makes sense to think about this and we talked with Celeb Dentist and founder of Klēn, Dr. Brian Harris. We talk about how we can take care of our teeth in between appointments, sustainable dental care and of course what to expect when we go back for our dental checkups.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell me about your background, how you found your way to dentistry and launching this line?

DR. BRIAN HARRIS: My father was a dentist so I grew up around dentistry and was always fascinated with the artistic side of the profession. I have been in practice for 15 years now as a cosmetic dentist and have helped thousands of people improve their smile. In doing so I recognized that a pretty smile is great but a CONFIDENT smile is what is most important. True confidence comes from looking good but also having fresh breath and healthy gums. For years patients would ask me what products I recommended but I didn’t particularly love any of them because of the harsh chemicals and abrasives used to make them. For this reason, the Klēn line of oral care products was launched.

AM: Growing up we were taught that having fluoride was a great ingredient to keep cavities away as well as alcohol in your mouthwash being great to kill germs. Your products have neither of these items as you use natural ingredients in Klēn. Can you share why you chose this and how are your products still beneficial to good dental health.

DR. BH: I understand that having an oral care line without Fluoride is blasphemy for a dentist but there is a good reason for it. I believe that Fluoride is extremely useful for preventing cavities and I use it in my office as needed for cavity prone patients. I do not believe that it is something that should be used in toothpaste every day especially if someone is not prone to getting cavities. I also believe that the amount of fluoride used in over the counter toothpaste brands is not strong enough to truly be effective so why put that into your body every day? Topical fluoride applications at the dentist and prescription based toothpastes with a concentrated amount are important for those that are cavity prone. Otherwise, a good non abrasive toothpaste free of chemicals and harmful products is the way to go.

As far as using alcohol in mouth rinse to fight cavity causing bacteria goes, it works. At the same time, alcohol is one of the leading causes for dry mouth which is one of the leading causes of cavities. It’s a little complicated right?! I don’t think the benefits of alcohol outweigh the consequences…. stick with an alcoholic free rinse.

AM: A number of people suffer with issues of irritated gums and you created a portion of your line that has CBD toothpaste as well as mouthwash. How does CBD as sist in oral care for those who have this issue?

DR. BH: When gums are red and inflamed and bleed on a regular basis, this is a condition of gingivitis or periodontitis. It is an inflammatory process of the body letting you know that the gums are not healthy and need attention. In these cases, the best thing is to see your dental office for a routine cleaning. Along with that I recommend the use the CBD toothpaste and rinse as CBD is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It will help to calm and soothe the tissues.

AM: When we’re at home, what should be our routine in terms of engaging in good dental health as well as the tools necessary to do the job?

DR. BH: The answer to this question may seem a little boring but regular brushing, flossing and the use of a mouth rinse are the most important things you can do. Just make sure you use a non abrasive toothpaste and an alcohol free rinse. If you want to take things next level you can introduce the waterpik and a tongue cleanser to the routine. And for those that are meticulous and want to be free of all stains and build up, the In-Between Klēn mirror and scaler will allow you to get things as healthy and clean as possible.

AM: How often should we see our dentist in a typical year?

DR. BH: On average every 6 months is the safe bet. If someone is more prone to gum disease or other issues I recommend every 3 to 4 months.

AM: How does stress affect our teeth and gums?

DR. BH: Stress can cause excessive clenching and grinding of the teeth causing them to wear down and break. This excessive force can also lead to gum recession and sensitivity of the teeth. In some extreme cases high stress can lead to extreme gum issues causing inflammation and infection of the gum tissue. Try to minimize the stress or at least use some kind of night time dental appliance to minimize the destruction of the tooth structure.

AM: In this time of COVID-19, there have been concerns about doing a number of activities that we have taken for granted. Should we be concerned about going to our dentist?

DR. BH: I think going to the dentist is a personal decision like many of the other decisions we have to make. I f you are someone that is cavity prone or has a history of gum disease in your family then I feel you should go and not postpone it. If you have perfectly healthy gums with no history of cavities then it might make sense to postpone things for a few months to minimize the risk.

AM: If we go to our dentist, what protocols should be in place in terms of us visiting the dentist and what we should expect to see our dentists and assistants wearing and doing to ensure our safety?

DR. BH: Every office is different, but the most important thing is that you see your office taking extra precautions on top of what they would normally do to minimize the spread of the disease.

AM: For those that may want to push back their regular dental appointment as we wait for feeling more comfortable to resume appointments, how does your In-Between assist in maintaining good dental health and how do you use these tools?

DR. BH: The In-Between Klēn is not meant to replace the traditional dental cleaning. With a traditional cleaning your dental hygienist will clean the entire mouth including the areas of bacteria and build up below the gum-line. The In-Between klen is not intended to be used that way. It is to be used on the front teeth only for superficial stains and build up on the teeth above the gum line. Its for cosmetic purposes only and for those wanting to clean things up on their own In-Between their regular routine dental visits.

IG @KlenProducts

PHOTOS COURTESY | Klen Products

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Oral Care with Dr. Brian Harris in mag.

STYLE FILES | SS20

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #57 and see Style Files in mag.

9 COMMON SPORTS INJURIES AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM

Many people like sports so it’s not surprising that many people become the so-called ‘weekend warriors.’ Once these people finished their work duties, they look forward to spending some time outdoors to participate in some popular sports on the weekends.

However, some people risk getting injured during a friendly game, especially if there are many players aiming to win and the game gets really physical. If you do get injured, it would be helpful to know how to identify the point of injury so that you’ll know how to manage it.

That being said, here’s a list of the most common sports injuries and some tips on the best way to manage each injury:

1.      Strains versus Sprains

To clarify, a strain is an injury of the muscle tendons or muscle fibers. On the other hand, a sprain is an injury of the ligaments. Because the muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments are not usually used forcefully, the sudden exertion can cause each of these to be pulled, or even torn, to the point of pain.

If this happens, you may need medical professionals to treat the injury site. However, if you’re far from the clinic, you should apply the PRICE Method:

·       Prevent the worsening of the injury by rendering the strained or sprained body part immobile until a doctor can take a look at it.

·       Refrain from moving the injured body part, even to walk a short distance.

·       Ice the location to prevent inflammation

·       Compress the injured body part with an elastic bandage, if you have it.

·       Elevate the injured location so that it doesn’t swell too much.

If there’s a lot of pain from the site of injury, you may take an over-the-counter pain reliever to manage it temporarily until you can consult a doctor. Take note that the PRICE Method may also be applied for other sports injuries when needed.

2.      Groin Injuries

Many amateur athletes experience groin injuries, particularly in sports such as baseball, football, soccer, and hockey. It’s the side-to-side movement in the game that can result in groin injuries. Sometimes, athletes may forget to do some leg and abdomen stretches, causing the injury.

The groin is made up of muscles within the inner thighs, near the urethra. When these muscles are strained, the pain will suddenly set in. To manage it, you should protect the injury site by rendering it immobile and apply some ice.

If the pain is too much, you can temporarily take some over-the-counter painkiller. Take time to rest so that you won’t be escalating the pain. To determine the extent of the injury, you’ll need to consult a medical professional, such as Walker Spine & Sport.

3.      Shin Splints

The front of the legs is where you can experience the injury known as shin splints. This usually crops up when the athlete is running a lot on a paved surface.

If there’s quite a lot of pain, you may have to see a doctor just to rule out stress fractures that may be causing the pain. A stress fracture is a break in the bone of the lower leg. Persistent pain may indicate the presence of a stress fracture.

Shin splints can be managed by complete rest, which sometimes lasts for a month.

4.      Patellofemoral Syndrome

This injury affects the tissues under the kneecap, characterized by constant friction between the patella (knee cap) and your thigh bone (femur). The injury can affect one or both knees. Basketball, volleyball, and running are common sports that are prone to patellofemoral injuries.

Once you have this injury, you may have to take a break from those sports mentioned above for around six weeks. In that time, you can rest, although your doctor may advise some mild, low-impact exercise as well as exercising your quadriceps to manage the injury.

5.      Epicondylitis

This injury affects the outside of the elbow, which is sometimes referred to as ‘tennis elbow.’ Hence, it’s common among tennis players but golfers can also have this injury.

The pain is caused by minor tears in the elbow’s tendons. Your doctor will recommend a complete rest of the affected elbow until the pain has dissipated.

6.      Dislocated Bones

This sports injury occurs when the end of one of your bones is suddenly forced out of its socket, which can happen to your leg bones or to your shoulder bones. If the bone is suddenly dislocated, you’ll instantly feel pain and there will be swelling of the injury site.

One of the most commonly dislocated bones is the shoulder joint since it’s often used in sports activities. The dislocation of the shoulder joint may be due to a lack of strength, reduced flexibility, or being unstable.

If you dislocate your joint, it’s advisable to rest and apply ice. Doing so will help reduce the pain and any swelling. If the pain persists for at least two weeks, you may need to consult a physical therapist.

7.      Fractured Bones

Any of the multiple bones of your body can be fractured, even during a friendly game. Some people should be careful about impact sports if they have a bone disease, like osteopenia or osteoporosis, since their bones can easily fracture.

If you have a fractured bone, you need to be rushed to a hospital emergency room for appropriate treatment.

8.      Concussion

Even friendly games may result in someone getting a concussion. This sports injury involves a blow to the head that can affect your brain, which can be quite harmful if left untreated. If you suspect you have a concussion, it’s best if you consult a sports doctor right away.

Here are the following symptoms of a concussion:

·       Inability to reply to questions right away

·       Confusion/feeling disoriented

·       Light sensitivity

·       Slurred speech

·       Feeling the urge to vomit, or actual vomiting

·       Feeling dizzy

·       Headache

If you do experience such symptoms, you should be brought to the emergency room right away. By using imaging tests, medical practitioners will examine your brain for possible internal bleeding or damage.

Remember, you shouldn’t return to the game after a concussion. You should also refrain from participating in future games until the doctor says you’ve recovered from it. It’s advisable to have adequate rest for and avoid using your mind in stressful work. Doing so will help relieve your brain until it has recuperated on its own.

9.      Sciatica Back Pain

Some athletes may develop a form of back pain known as sciatica. The pain may extend along the back of the legs and, sometimes, can reach the feet as well. This is caused by a pinched nerve or swollen disc in the back. There may also be some numbness and tingling sensations.

Some athletes, such as golfers, tennis players, and cyclists, are at risk for this due to the twisting of the trunk or keeping the back straight for extended periods of time.

Athletes who develop sciatica may be asked by their doctor to rest. As a form of therapy, the doctor may then recommend some stretching exercises for the hamstrings and back.

Tips in Managing Accidental Sports Injuries

The first and best way to address accidental sports injuries is to educate yourself about safe exercise practices before you take up a sport. This means doing the following:

1.      Get A Competent Coach

If you want your sports activities to be injury-free, it pays to have a guide for every game, session, or match. So, take your time looking for coaches who know how to train amateur athletes for a particular sport.

You may have to pay the coach but at least you won’t be easily injured as you take part in your favorite activities. To find reputable coaches, you can go to schools, like colleges and universities.

2.      Don’t Forget To Warm Up and Stretch

Many people who are new to sports aren’t taught to warm up first and do some stretching. Warming up and stretching are very important parts of any sports since they help your muscles and ligaments to be prepared for some exertion.

Refusing to warm up and stretch can result in painful injuries.

3.      Learn Safety Tips For Any Sport

Your preferred coach should be able to teach you how to safely take part in sports. For instance, if your preferred sport is diving, your coach should teach you the right way to jump off a platform and dive into the water. Divers may perform gymnastics moves during each dive, so part of their warm-up routine is to practice gymnastics on a safe surface in the facility.

If, on the other hand, you prefer a good old game of basketball, your coach should give you tips on how to actively look for an opening in the defense of the opposing team without falling and hurting yourself.

4.      Cool-Down and Stretch After the Game

As you let your body heat dissipate, it’s recommended that you do a lot of stretching as well. This allows your body to let the muscles, tendons, and ligaments gain some more flexibility, which is crucial for improving your muscle control skills. It also gives you time to assess how well you performed for that game, helping you evaluate whether you’re making progress in that sport.

Final Takeaway

It’s great if you have a favorite sport to pursue, especially during weekends when your schedule is lighter. Although, the drawback is that you might suffer some sports injuries that can leave you out of the game for a while.

To avoid sports injuries, you may need guidance from someone more knowledgeable and experienced. That way, you can still have fun without the pain and hassle of an injury.

BINGELY BOOKS

100 COOKIES: THE BAKING BOOK FOR EVERY KITCHEN, WITH CLASSIC COOKIES, NOVEL TREATS, BROWNIES, BARS, & MORE

Chronicle Books

Sarah Kieffer

We've all been taking an interest in either cooking meals, watching more shows or imagining that this is something that we would do. In this cookbook, which is divided into 7 chapters, you will learn everything that you need to know about these sweet treats from cookies, brownies, bars and other novelty treats. In addition, there are over 1oo illustrations sharing the treats that you will be able to make for yourself as well as to gift to others who would be interested in enjoying this delectable treat!

In addition to recipes, you'll also learn about a number of techniques and tricks that will make you a better baker regardless of your expertise!

HEART BONES

Independently Published

Colleen Hoover

You can't control to whom you are born to and Beyah Grim knew that her parents only gave her 2 things, a sad life and a name that seemed very dismal. She learned to pull herself up and has made her way through her life through the power of her own ingenuity. She's so close to a new life with only a few months left, but a death leaves her spinning with no place to go. As a last resort, she finds herself with her father in Texas to pass the time before her world begins to take off.

While trying to stay the course, she connects with her father's neighbor who has a boy that is the complete opposite of her and how she grew up. As they are both drawn to sadness, they find a commonality in one another. Although they agree to keep their relationship easy and a summer fling, they have no idea how their lives will turn out as the summer continues.

THE LAST TRIAL

Grand Central Publishing

Scott Turow

Alejandro "Sandy" Stern is 85 and about to retire after a stellar career as a defense attorney. But when he finds that his friend, Dr. Kiril Pafko, a former Nobel Prize winner in medicine is faced with charges of insider trading, murder and fraud, he decides that even though his health is failing, he needs to take on his last case.

In taking this case, the stakes couldn't be higher as his career is in question and he finds that what he thought he knew about his friend as well as his stellar career is not what he thought it was. Even with his new knowledge of his friend's shortcomings, can he still be innocent of the crimes that he is being charged with? How far is he willing to go to save his friend and can he live with what he may or must do in order to secure a win for himself and his friend?

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Bingely Books in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | PRESSED JUICERY

With over 75 locations across the US, local delivery and the ability to have products shipped nationwide, Pressed Juicery ensures that you're able to consume vital fruits and vegetables to fuel you throughout the day via their cold-pressed juices which have 4lbs of produce in each one. The brand is also focused on making sure that their nutritious endeavor is delicious, affordable and accessible to everyone. With a farm to bottle process, their healthy juice is sourced from California's Central Valley. To round out their assortment, enthusiasts can also enjoy plant-based soft serve and power packed shots.

Select from juices to enjoy as you wish, from cleanse bundles to shot bundles, vitamin C packs, daily packs, fruit juices, almond milks, green juices, root juices, citrus juices, lemonades, healthy snacks from an array of partners, icecream, power bowls, acai bowls and chia pudding and overnight oats. We enjoy that their beverage options change depending on the season so there is always something new for your tastebuds to enjoy to change things up!

Whether you buy your favorites in person (check to see if your location is open as well as what is being offered at that specific locaton) or have them brought to your door, you can decided to get them a la cart or join their VIP Membership. In addition, purchases allow you to accrue Pressed Points.

Another fun element for Pressed Juicery consumers is the fact that they are limited edition or collaborative beverages. It's a great way to mix up how fruits, vegetables and other ingredients come together to create a new flavor that you may not have actually had together.

PRESSED JUICERY

Check the website to see about whether your city has a Pressed Juicery in your neighborhood, local delivery as an option or to receive them nationwide via being shipped to your home.

www.pressedjuicery.com

IG @pressedjuicery

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Athleisure List | Pressed Juicery in mag.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT IN 30 DAYS

Let's be realistic: there's no one-size-fits-all solution to weight loss. Each person differs in genetics, metabolism, and a host of other biological and psychological factors. This makes drafting a single weight loss plan for everyone an impossible task.

That being said, to find a method of weight loss that works for your individual needs, you'll have to start with the basics. Some of the most proven tips that have produced excellent results for weight loss enthusiasts revolve around healthy eating and physical exercise. Many people make wrong nutritional choices, exacerbating their already deteriorating mental and physical health instead of cutting weight. Making small lifestyle changes can remedy this problem.

Below is a list of popular weight-loss strategies to help you lose weight within a month and take a big step towards meeting your fitness goals.

1.     Cut Calories

Some experts have a very simple answer to losing weight fast: if you consume fewer calories than you burn i.e., if you achieve a hypocaloric state, you lose weight. Sounds reasonable, right? Then, why are so many people not doing it right?

The problem is that weight loss doesn't follow a linear trajectory. You might get great results from cutting calories in the first week, and then tank bad during the rest of the month. That's because, in the initial period, most of what you discharge from your body is water weight and lean tissue. You need to continue cutting calories each week to maintain results. Moreover, a calorie isn't always equal. Two hundred calories from high fructose syrup don't affect your body in the same way as 200 calories of cabbage.

The key is to choose good calorie foods. Good calorie foods, such as vegetables and fruits, make you feel full for longer periods, and curb cravings. In contrast, foods such as candy, despite being low caloric, can set you on a very dangerous road to binge eating and derail your progress. You can also try a 30 day cut supplement to get good calories and keep your cravings at bay if you can't always consume whole foods.

Bottom line: To lose weight within 30 days, you’ll have to reduce your calories the right way to get optimal results.

2.     Cut Carbs

Another perspective of weight loss doesn't recommend cutting calories, but carbs. Your body uses glucose as a primary source of energy. This bodily preference shields fats and lets them accumulate inside your body, which can lead to obesity. Moreover, a carbohydrate-rich meal (French fries, rice, etc.) is known to cause insulin spikes. Insulin prevents fats from being utilized as fuel and produces more fat tissues to store leftover carbs. This also inevitably causes you to gain weight.

Most low-carb diet aficionados suggest substituting carbs with healthy fats and proteins. Some options include:

·       Fish

·       low-fat dairy products

·       leafy green and non-starchy vegetables

·       lean bird meat, such as chicken

·       Eggs

Whether you decide to slash carbs in your 30-day meal plan or not, you have to swallow the hard pill of removing sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet. White bread, white rice, pizza, cakes, and artificial sweeteners are all obesity roots. It would be in your best interest to replace them with whole-grain substitutes, such as whole-grain wheat, brown rice, and brown sugar.

3.     Get Moving

Exercise doesn't just help you cut calories; its benefits extend way beyond. From increasing your metabolism to improving your mood and energy, regular exercise can change your entire outlook on weight loss.

A holistic 30-day weight loss program can never survive without a weight loss component. Do yoga, or stretch in the convenience of your home. If you can hit the gym to lift some weights — even better! It's extremely crucial to have some form of exercise to supplement your nutrition.

Here are some tips you can use to incorporate an exercise regimen in your busy routine over the next 30 days:

·       Don't have time for a proper workout? Ten minutes of high-intensity training (HITT) is just as good and effective as a 50-minute cardio session.

·       Remember, some progress is better than no progress. Start with little spurts of physical activity. As you lose weight, you'll have more strength and energy to take the next step.

·       Engage in exercises you have a knack for. Dancing, cycling, playing table tennis, or kicking a football around are also on the table.

4.     Stay Motivated

Even if you've curated the perfect fitness plan, you have to stay consistent with your good habits. To stay motivated:

·       Use apps to track your progress. Calorie trackers and other smartphone apps keep your mind on top of things.

·       Find a support network. Join a Facebook group of fellow weight loss enthusiasts. Share your progress through a YouTube Channel. The possibilities are endless.

·       Get a lot of rest and sleep. Sleep regulates eating habits. If you don't sleep well, you're going to feel agitated and stressed, and you're more likely to bypass your daily eating quota.

Final Thoughts

The widely agreed statistic is that 95% of people never get to maintain their weight loss results. While this isn't a scientific fact set in stone, many weight loss journeys are known to falter after the first few months. This is often the case because diets are too restrictive and hard to adhere to for longer periods.

However, this doesn't mean you’ll end up with the same fate. Any attempts to stick to healthy habits, such as daily exercise and eating a nutritious diet, will give you good results, even beyond the 30-day mark.

9PLAYLIST | MARTIN GARRIX

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see 9PLAYLIST | Martin Garrix in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW WITH GUNNAR PETERSON

This month, we chat with one of our favorite celebrity fitness trainers Gunnar Peterson who has worked with a number of your favorite personalities from Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and more. In addition, as the Director of Strength & Endurance for the Lakers, we talk with him about how he has worked with his clients and the team to keep them on their routines. He also shares advice on movements that we can do at home regardless of whether we have equipment or not. He also shares his thoughts on returning to gyms and studios as the country is in various stages of reopening.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We always love being able to talk to you and being able to optimize our workouts and here in NY we have been in since March 13th. Thankfully, we got all of our equipment that we needed and we had no idea how long that we would be staying in due to COVID-19. What did you suggest to your clients in terms of equipment that they should have on hand?

GUNNAR PETERSON: I love that you guys got your equipment right away because it seems to me from what I heard, that the people that didn’t get it right out of the gate automatically had to line up and there was a delay. I have a very strange relationship with equipment – you can call it an addiction or a relationship whatever you want. That said, look whatever you have – even if you have nothing, you can still make it work. I would suggest adjustable dumbbells, a piece of cardio equipment that you enjoy, an assortment of bands, an auxiliary piece of cardio – think jump rope, a utility bench, a stability ball and that is all best case scenario. Worse case, we will get busy with water bottles, soup cans, a broom stick, a stepping stool, a couple of pieces of scrap cardboard. If you have that kind of stuff lying around it doesn’t have to be a mish mash like that, I actually thought those through it’s not grab bag you can come out of this lockdown in better shape. How’s that for a statement on standby?

AM: Love that statement. About a week before this quarantine, we had bands and a few other things, but didn’t really have dumbells, weight plates and other things like that so I was on Amazon and started amassing these items. And once we were in quarantine, you couldn’t get anything. We were pretty well stocked on our end.

GP: I heard it from people that are planners and those that get out ahead of things like this. There were other people that told me that they had nothing and that they had given everything away. Ever since they had started coming to me, they had given everything away as they didn’t need it in their house anymore because they came to me. I was like, “oh I’m sorry – like I’m supposed to be the person to blame for this.”

The household items though the water bottles and the soup cans, broom stick an ottoman – you can fill up garbage bags with laundry because they have the handles built in and scrap pieces of cardboard or a towel. You can use a scrap piece of cardboard if you’re outdoors on the lawn or turf. If not on a towel if you have a hard surface like poured concrete or hardwood floors. Any of those towels can work for leg curls, hip curls, hip bridges, ab extensions, chest flys there are so many movements you can do on the floor with that. People are like, “cardboard?” and I’m like yeah. I actually demo-d that workout online for someone out on the lawn, you put your heels on the cardboard and you do a leg curl in and put your hips up and your hamstrings and your glutes are good to go.

AM: What are 3 movements for abs, and legs, butts and arms that we should include within our routines as we’re always looking at changing it up a little bit and just optimizing that workout?

GP: For abs I would say, think bicycle crunches where you’re pulling left knee into right elbow and you’re up and semi crunched the entire time so that you’re abs which is all about time under tension the TUT Principle. The abs are engaged the whole time and you’re working that transverse rotation bringing the right elbow to left knee while extending that right leg and pulling the right leg in and extending the right leg and the left elbow to the right knee.

Also abs in extension which comes down to you being on your knees, toes in contact with the ground in sort of like a coffee table position and then extend the arms by sliding a towel out or if you’re on a piece of cardboard then you’re on cardboard. You want to extend them and working abs in extension is important and not just working them in inflection and also athletically – a lot of the strain happens when people will go into extension against resistance and they weren’t prepared for it. So you want to work on extension. You can also do that single arm right? You can fly one arm out and bring it back and the other arm up and bring it back just to create an uneven load.

The third one I would say is the hip bridge. So, using that same towel, put your forearm on it, extend your body and think about keeping a straight line between all of the h’s – head, hip, heels – straight line. Lower the hips down, draw the abs in. Your cue is when you pass center line pull your abs in and then bridge up so now you’re working frontal plane abs. So those are the movements for abs.

For legs, I would say squats and you have a number of squat movements to choose from whether it’s a basic squat, a sumo squat, a split squat, kick stands – there are a million ways to do that. But you definitely want to hit a squat and you should do that loaded because you’re working a big muscle group and it can handle an exterior load.

Then I would add clock lunges. Picture yourself standing in a center of a clock right where the hands are right where the hands meet in the middle. With your right leg step to 12 step to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 which involves a full pivot again the transverse plane. Then bring it back to 12 and then with your left leg, go to 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and back.

Then I would say, single leg deadlifts and if you need that, do it next to your dresser, counter or a willing family member so that you can stabilize. You want to hinge at the hip and have something in your hand, something weighted whether it’s the water bottle or a dumbbell – whatever you have and down to your hip and then come up so that you have a stretch in your hamstring. Push through your heel and your big toe as you stand up so you fire the glutes and continue through that – you’re a lot stronger. A lot of people say, “aww my back.” Don’t worry about your back. You’re going to go in that position through your life so many times, you have to strengthen it. You’re doing yourself a disservice to not strengthen it.

And for glutes, I would say a lateral lunge. A deep lunge out to the side and really getting low on that because you want to hit gluteus medius and power through back to the starting position and alternate sides.

I would say a hip bridge, you can do that single leg or double leg. So put one foot up – one foot off the ground. You’re lying on your back, create a triangle between where you’re up from the ground and where your heel is on the ground and then bridge up by driving into the heel on the floor which is a single leg version. The double leg version, obviously both of your heels are on the ground.

Then I would add something explosive and plyometric. A tuck jump and you can do those in place. The goal is not to drop down super low into a squat and jump. Think about when you see someone jumping at a volleyball net or when they’re getting a rebound from a basketball – they don’t drop their hips all the way to the floor, they literally hinge at the hips and explode upward. So think of that kind of jump.

For arms, I would say something in a curl and I would spice up the curl a little bit and do it in a split stance. I like to create the offload, I like to make the core fire even more and do whatever your scheme is half of it with your right leg bag and left leg forward and then you drop down relatively low and then switch the split and repeat the same number of the reps of the curls.

That’s 1 the 2nd one would be a close grip push up. So keeping your hands relatively narrow and more importantly than that, tuck your elbows into your sides so you can feel your ribcage slide down against your forearm on the way down. If it’s too hard to do them on the floor, instead of doing them on your knees – I’m not a huge fan of that, I would say do them off of something. Elevate the hands versus just staying on your knees. So you’re still getting that fully planked position whether you come up and do it on an ottoman or at the end of a bed or on the end of a couch depending on your fitness level right?

Back in the day, Zsa Zsa Gabor did a workout video (Editor’s Note: of course we had to check out this video which is 30 mins of Zsa Zsaisms, working out and is worth watching) and she actually had 2 body builders come out and she just leaned back and did the push up off their chest. So she was still standing at a 5° incline but you can work backwards to any level of fitness. I want to say that she was in her 70’s when she did it so kudos to her for still doing the work.

AM: That’s pretty amazing!

GP: I know, when I saw it, I thought, “you have to give her credit for that.”

The 3rd one would be a press overhead. And that’s not for your arms, biceps, triceps, but it’s for your shoulders. If you look at the side view of the arm, almost half of that is the cap of your shoulder. So overhead pressing of any kind whether you alternate, palms forward, palms in – you just want to make sure that you get the shoulders. Especially since a lot of clothing in the summer time is exposing the shoulder.

AM: I know on your Instagram, that you created quarantine courses for your family to do. How important is it for your to incorporate movement especially with children and what do you suggest to do to keep them engaged?

GP: For us, it’s a priority. It’s not for everybody but it is for us. The kids learn how to move and use their bodies, how to work through things that are difficult and I think that that’s a life metaphor and you get to spend real quality time with them and I would suggest mixing in things that you know that they like as well as things that they need. That’s the challenge of being the parent. You challenge them and then you reward them with something that is good for them. My kids love Propel, they love the electrolyte water and there are 0 grams of sugar and I know that post workout, they need the electrolytes so it’s such an easy reward and sometimes I will put it at the end so right when he comes off the course, they’re there. They can pick the flavor and you’re empowering them with that.

AM: In addition, you have been participating in a number of IG Lives doing various workouts during this time of quarantine, how important is that to you to do those things and let people across the internet to have people workout with you and also engage with you?

GP: It’s important for me because A it keeps me sharp on the selfish side. I like doing anything that I can with the fitness community and the fitness industry as a whole. If I can add to that collective, then count me in. It’s not like I am putting on the Propel fitness stuff in my backyard, but if I am giving something that can approximate that during a time when we may have to push that back in a calendar then I’m all for it – sign me up.

AM: Across the US, we have various levels of openings on city and state levels. A lot of gyms and studios are doing that as well and a lot of people are excited to go back to their favorite spaces, but there is a lot of apprehension to in terms of whether the gyms themselves are actually prepared to be opened. What are your thoughts on how we can return to them safely and what we should be looking for when we enter? Should we be bringing items with us?

GP: You said it first – safety right? Be smart and be safe. Make sure that you’re doing the right thing and if you see someone who isn’t, instead of tattling and being condescending – I would share with them what the right approach is and be open if they share with you. We can all get better together. Remember we all heard a lot of information in the last 5+ months and we all process it differently. There are a lot of beliefs, so it’s better to be open and tolerant until we have all the facts locked down. I know I said lock down, but I said that on purpose!

As far as what you bring, I am a big fan of bringing my towel and water to the gym. I bring my towel and my Propel. You might want to double up and bring gloves, I don’t know the science on that one yet, but I’m OCD enough that I’m taking my towel and Propel with me for sure. I’m not going to be needing water fountains for a little bit if I can help it.

AM: For sure! You’re the Director of Strength & Endurance Training for the Lakers, our favorite team!

GP: Ah I love that!

AM: The Lakers have been our team since the 80’s.

GP: Not a fair weather fan, I like that!

AM: With the NBA completing their season and getting closer to the Playoffs, what has this time been like for you in terms of working with the team, preparing them prior to going to the bubble in Orlando and during this season?

GP: So our Strength Staff, a guy named Chattin Hill (Lakers’ Associate Head Strength & Conditioning Coach), Ed Streit (Lakers’ Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach) and I put together a Fit Kit and we sent the Fit Kits to the players early on. I don’t think that we got the jump on as early as you did, but we were a couple of days behind. We sent those to the players and we also emailed and texted them daily individualized workouts and all that was done within days of the lockdown. We also held and this ended up being great, but there was an element of comedy to it, we held Zoom workouts a couple of times a week to maintain the interaction, to keep the camaraderie up, trash talking – that was the great job of our GM Rob Pelinka and it ended up being great. There were times when the strength staff were a little disjointed and disconnected in doing it all on Zoom, but it created a moment of levity during some of those uncertain times. I’m sure you guys went through it too! There were times when the lockdown felt super annoying and there were times when it felt super scary! Like it was legitimately, “let’s not poo poo this guys. This is real.” Then you just develop a system. I’m sure that there is a psychology there of numerous phases that we all went through and having those workouts allowed those guys to keep connected and also allowed them to keep connected to us allowed them to keep connected to us which was key.

AM: Wow! When we did our last photoshoot it was with Rachel Nichols from ESPN. It was literally the day after the NBA announced that they were postponing the season. We’re literally sitting with her coming off of ESPN, doing the shoot and we’re looking at each other saying, “is this the last time that we’re going to be doing this for awhile?”

GP: I know Rachel and I like her. She’s very smart and she’s not taking any chances. If she did that then she did the right thing and hats off to her! I’m not surprised actually that she did it the right way.

AM: She is amazing and she was an awesome cover for us in March.

Obviously, the word “typical” feels like a very strange word right now, but what is a typical day or week like for you right now in terms of all the stuff that you’re doing?

GP: The only thing typical is that everything changes every day. I make sure to get some kind of workout in for myself, call it selfish, call it self preservation. I use the down time to connect with my family as well as a lot more Face Time calls with my brother, my parents and I think that it’s probably fair to say that our house as well as my sock drawer has never been neater! I have a lot cleaned up – everything is clean!

AM: You’re always working on so many things, is there anything coming up that we should know about or that your happy to announce with everyone?

GP: Lots of irons on the fire, that’s the way that I like it. I’d rather do than talk so let’s see what actually materializes after this. I will say that I have not been idle, definitely not going to sit around and do nothing. There’s definitely good stuff coming up though – definitely! More than just Instagram obstacle courses. Although I did enjoy those I’ve gotta say!

AM: As someone who is working with your clients whether it’s in person or virtually, doing things with your family and you have all of these different projects, how are you taking time for yourself just to make sure that you have the time that you need?

GP: So, I emphasized and the things that I struggle with the most – sleep and recovery. I’ve been working on that for the past 4 years and I’ve really made that a concerted effort to bump those up. I’m far from perfect for sure but it is still a focus and I have been able to improve it. I make sure that I get my workouts in which keeps me sane and it also makes me less of a jackass around my kids and my wife so that’s a priority ha!

AM: Haha I know they appreciate that! So we love asking our changemakers who inspire so many people who are 3 people that inspire you that have gotten you to where you are now?

GP: My parents and I have to put them together. A, for no backlash and B, because it’s the right thing. My parents for just the way that they weather storms. They have been married for over 60 years and I’m sure it hasn’t been perfect, but they just finish what they start kind of thing. My brother who is a super successful business man and all around greatest most generous guy going and I’m going to keep it in the family and say my wife and kids. They really inspire. It’s those days that you get up and go, “I’m getting up today because I know my purpose.” Obviously, you know that it supports your family, but they make me better!

Years ago, I worked for Jennifer Lopez for a long time and that’s not name dropping a lot of people know that. I wrote her a note one New Year’s morning. It just hit me that I was so thankful to have had the opportunity – I was still working with her, but I wanted to acknowledge it in real time. The opportunity to work with her – my working with her made me want to do my job better because I saw how well she did her job and how hard she pushed. I wrote her a note and I just said, “I want you to know I recognize this. I was always going to push myself and I was always going to strive for greatness, but being around you for this many years and watching how you do it has just made me A, be a representation of you at the same level, but also just to hold myself accountable because I see how hard you go and the standard to which you hold yourself.”

IG @GunnarFitness

PHOTOS COURTESY | Propel

Hear Celebrity Fitness Trainer and LA Lakers' Director of Strength & Endurance Gunnar Peterson on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Something You Should Know with Gunnar Peterson in mag.

5 INCREDIBLE IMPACTS OF SPORTS ON EDUCATION

The theory of education has extremely changed over the years, whereby institutions, apart from focusing on daily classroom activities, are equally focusing on sports and co-curricular activities. These activities, in turn, are crucial in the all-round development of students.

Games also play a vital role in education, as they enable students to have inner strength as well as develop a fit and sound physique. Nonetheless, sports and extracurricular activities must be purposely designed and efficiently executed to deliver educational outcomes. That said, here’s a look at some of the positive impacts of sports on education.

Improving Academic Performance

Being confined to classroom walls every day can be very exhausting. Students become both bored, as only studying thoughts occupy his mind. As a result, he or she cannot be very productive in the classroom.

Unfortunately, it is commonly perceived that sports and extracurricular activities are a complete waste of time and that students should dedicate their time and energy to studying only. However, this should not be the case anymore, as sports has its major benefits.

Additionally, if a student is overwhelmed by classroom assignments, he or she can seek help from custom essay writing services and have the assignments done for them, so that they can maintain a balance is classroom work and physical activities.  

In conclusion, sports enables students to have a little escape from the norms of daily classroom activities, thus improving their academic performance.

Initiating Inclusive Participation in the Classroom

In every sport, team effort and collaboration is crucial for the success of every match. Taking part in sports and other physical activities give students a chance to interact with different people, thus building confidence, which in turn promotes active participation in the classroom.

Besides, extracurricular activities that are team-based are beneficial when it comes to overcoming divides. They enhance a shared feeling of:

·       Fellowship

·       Purpose

·       Identity among participants

Bettering Mental and Physical Health

Frequent participation in sporting activities by students from a young age reduces the risk of cardiovascular illnesses in teenage years through adulthood. Involvement in extracurricular activities is also positively related to the low abuse of drugs and alcohol in learning institutions.

Besides, incorporating sports and physical activities in education help in the reduction of depression, anxiety, and stress levels in students. As a result, scholars now can:

·       Make quick decisions

·       Better their problem-solving skills

·       Work well under pressure on the field

Paving the Way for Future Aspirations

Many students are passionate about sports. They often aspire to become sportspersons; thus, the integration of sports in education enables them to translate their aspiration into their profession.

Enhancing Concentration and Attention

High concentration and attention levels in the classroom are positively related to routine participation in sporting activities. This frequent participation in physical activities enhances the learner’s ability to grasp, remember, and utilize all subjects taught in the classroom.

Final Thoughts

Finally, it’s important to note that not all sporting activities automatically deliver positive gains. Therefore, to give positive academic outcomes, sports and extracurricular activities should be designed intentionally and effectively implemented.

THE TRANSFORMATION WITH KIM KIMBLE

When it comes to creating dynamic hair in film, TV, photoshoots, videos, red carpets (Met Gala, Oscars, etc.), Coachella and cover editorials (Vogue, Vanity Fair, etc.), Kim Kimble is a known name in the industry. Her level of creativity and transforming her clients to another level has been seen on Beyoncé, Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Zendaya and Kelly Rowland to name a few. This 3rd generation hair stylist has grown her brand to include a full line of products from wigs, extensions and hair care. For 5 seasons, she shared the business of hair from her salon, team and her celeb clients on WE TV's L.A. Hair. In addition, she continues to challenge herself as she takes on projects that showcase that her there are no bounds to her vision of dominating the industry that she loves so much.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a hairstylist?

KIM KIMBLE: Well in all honesty, I’m a 3rd generation hairstylist so my mother and my grandmother also did hair. I was around it all my life; however, I wasn’t convinced that I would do it forever. I would do hair, work my way – after I got my license, I worked on hair as I made my way through fashion school as I wanted to be a fashion designer. That was my dream at the time. In all honesty, once I started doing hair, one day I realized that I love the challenge of it. I saw you could do more than just stand behind a chair. Early on – they called it Platform Artists Hair Stylists, there were hair shows and I could see that there was more then just doing this. Once I saw the transformation of my clients in my chair, when they would get out of my chair – that’s where my slogan, ‘Great Hair Equals Confidence,” came from as I saw the change in my clients when they would get out of the chair and how they would transform. I would see it later when I would work my celebrity clients and they would get on stage and how they would become a whole other person.

That gave me a lot of purpose and even with creating products and things like that, seeing the change and how it could make a difference in a person’s life – there is something about that that fulfills me. So I was like, I’m sticking with hair and gave up fashion.

AM: What was the project that made you realize that you had made it?

KK: Oh wow. I mean when I did BAPS, that was my first movie and that was pretty great for me. I had so many milestones in my career. But I think that once I started working with Beyoncé and I saw respect. I started getting so many different people reaching out to work with me. I started seeing the change of being accepted for different magazines and being able to do different covers. Then I knew that the career was really taking off and was onto something special. You know, I was able to transform my career and I saw a change. One day, you’re doing your thing and then the next day you’re like the most sought after hairstylist in the world because of one client. I got to experience that. I was doing celebrities before I met her and I was doing film before I met her. How I met her was through film, but in all honesty, I really took off and everything changed. When her career started taking off as a solo artist as her career was huge with Destiny’s Child, it was her solo career when I started working with her and everything changed.

AM: What does it mean to be Kimbleized?

KK: Well Kimbleized, the phrase came from one day when I was on WE TV’s L.A. Hair, my reality show. I mentioned it in a confessional that she has now been Kimbleized. It means that she has been touched by the Kimble, her hair has been certified by Kim Kimble and transformed by Kim Kimble in the Kim Kimble style and in the Kim Kimble way. I said it one day in an interview and then they put these chimes behind it and I was like, “yes” and I had an epiphany and I said, “everyone is going to be Kimbleized.” When I have finished someone’s hair I will tell them, “you have just been Kimbleized.” It’s also because when I’m with my clients, I spoil them so well when they get their hair done that they don’t want to go to anybody else. Your life has been changed and you want Kim Kimble to do your hair. It’s a whole thing.

AM: In talking about your show, it was one of the first ones that I knew of that incorporated your whole team, having the nail artists that was there and showing the culture of getting your look put together. What was the confluence that happened that made you think that you wanted to do a show?

KK: In all honesty, I’m a creative person. I used to produce hair shows and events like that. So I had the producer/creative bug in me. I had been trying to create these shows for a minute but I hadn’t been successful. I wasn’t really trying to do one surrounding me and my squad. That’s not what I was pitching. Then I gave up because I hadn’t had any luck doing that and I didn’t get picked up. It happens a lot. You go out there, you pitch, sometimes you’re hot and sometimes you’re not. I stopped pitching, gave up, said forget it and then a producer reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in coming in and having a show that was about me and my team. They knew there was someone who was looking for something like that. I said, “yeah ok, whatever.” I didn’t think that it would happen. At first I was a little nervous about doing something like that because I know how dramatic the salon, stylists and artists are. But you know that that’s what the shows look for, but I didn’t know if I wanted to put my business or brand in a situation that would affect me. I know that I had seen some of the shows and there was a little negativity there and I’m a control freak. I wanted to be in control of my brand and what I did. I didn’t want to put my brand in the hands of just anybody.

With the shows, those contracts are real serious. I didn’t even get to go on the pitches, I didn’t know who they pitched or what they did. All I know is that I was on a show called Let’s Stay Together on BET in Atlanta and I get a call and they say, “guess what? Your show has been picked up by WE TV.” I was like, “what?” It happened so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to think about it. I’m like that, I will just jump in feet first and just see what happens. I jumped into it. Was I nervous? Yes. I worked on TV and films, but I hadn’t worked on any reality shows. I didn’t know what that was like. I did a lot of television in terms of makeovers and interviews so I had done some things – it helped break me in, but it was a completely different thing.

The day the cameras came into the salon, I was like, “oh my God, what have I just done?” I didn’t know anything about this and it ended up working out just fine. I would do it again. It was dramatic, 5 seasons, but I was very proud of what we did. It was dramatic in front of and behind the camera, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. A lot of people really admired and loved the show. Every time I’m on my social media, I’m asked if L.A. Hair is coming back, what am I doing, will there be another show etc. They don’t realize that I’m a hair stylist first and not a television personality first. My day job is always working with clients. So when you saw that on the show, a lot of that stuff was real jobs that I had done and they allowed us to bring a camera. Sometimes it would be stuff that we would create for opportunities, but a lot of them were people that I had worked with. Some of them were people that I had not worked with and it was my first time working with them. It was important for me to show what we really do. The realness, running a business and a lot of people underestimate entrepreneurship which is interesting for women and especially women of color. There are a lot of women entrepreneurs and a lot of times in shows they may think that people want to see the drama, but they also want to know about running a business. It was important for me to share a lot of the things that were going on in the business, things that I did on set and that’s why people liked it – it was the real deal.

There was a little drama here and there and I would have people call me and say that they were going through the same thing at their salon. People can relate because everyone knows this is what salons bring and that’s why I was nervous because I knew that we were about to look real crazy on there. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not ashamed of any of it. I think it was a great opportunity and I know a lot of people have a lot of bad things to say about reality TV, but I will be honest with you. I don’t put anything out there that I don’t want out there! If I don’t want it out there, I don’t do it. What TV does is bring out who you are. It really brings it out whether you want it to or not. I will put that out there that if you want to do reality TV, then be careful because who you are will come out. A couple of times I got heated, but that’s real though. You can’t blame anybody who is focused on their business or their brand. I’m not afraid to let people know that I am territorial when it comes to taking care of my clients and I don’t want people taking advantage of me. I’m a business woman and I enjoyed it. I hope to get another chance as we’re looking at other opportunities which will be a little different. I don’t know if we’ll do L.A. Hair again because the times have changed and that’s been done – so I don’t know if we will do that again.

AM: You have created iconic looks and just recently with Beyoncé’s Black is King video with the 30ft braids. How do you come up with your concepts and what is that process like?

KK: This particular process was interesting. When we work together, we create boards and on this one, we started with Africa early on when she was doing Lemonade. I felt that natural hair was wear we wanted to go, her weave was more natural textures. We looked at the beauty of Africa and I was looking at women. I keep referring to Lemonade and going back there because that whole concept was about women early on before we had relaxers and that kind of stuff. We started with a lot of different African inspirations for hair. When she did Black is King, it was more about Africa and with The Lion King – what it would be like and discovering the beauty of Blackness. That’s what was amazing about that project. There were a couple of things that I had worked on for some of her videos. She has a creative director team and we were talking about a 30ft braid that needed to be long so that it could wrap around the body. Of course, that didn’t happen, but the wig was made and I have an amazing team of braiders that have worked with me on many projects. I dream up something and we get together and it’s like a lab. We test it out, do a couple of samples to see how it works and then it becomes something that we execute. When Beyoncé dreams something and says she wants this or that, we just create it – that’s what we do. That’s why I like working with her. It’s a lot of fun, it’s creative and I like to be challenged. Those challenges can be something crazy like a 30ft braid, Ivy Park beads in my braid – but you get with the team and we make it and we made history.

When I worked with Nicki Minaj, she had been wearing long hair and I wanted to do pink braids because she likes pink. I got together with the team and I said, “hey let’s do pink braids to the floor.” We broke the internet. I have been blessed to have great opportunities that are allowed by artists who create. I’m just an out there person when it comes to this and I like it!

AM: In addition to your great talent and custom work, you also have a line of products and hair as well. How important was it to you to bring this to market to round out your empire?

KK: This is the thing. With the celebrities that I work with, a lot of people want the same celebrity look and they want to know what you use and how to use it for that same look. A lot of the items were created to fit the needs of my clients. A lot of my clients are the inspiration behind these types of products. I started creating them to fit the mood of my customers.

In about a week or so, I am launching a line for Sally Beauty for natural hair. I’m excited about it, it’s an amazing line. I did it because on L.A. Hair people would message me on social and they would ask me what they could do to put on their natural hair. I have natural hair and creating great products, it’s so hard to find the right curl mixture. So we create those products because we need these items that work well in our hair. Sometimes they’re too greasy or they’re good with the hydration but they don’t quite get the style right. You have a lot of people that create lines, but they’re not hair stylists that have been doing hair for so many years. They don’t understand how hair works and what kinds of products are best suited for the hair. It’s another part of the creative process and it’s something that I like to be able to do.

AM: What are the other projects that you have on the horizon that we should know about as you’re always doing something.

KK: I’ve been doing a lot of consultations with clients online which has been a lot of fun actually! I can help them through this whole time to get their hair together for color, extensions and wigs. I’m creating a line of wigs which I am launching for HSN and I just told you about the products launching at Sally Beauty. A lot of people don’t know that we also do hair tools and there can be movie and TV shows that I’m working on coming up. I created a digital TV show on my own. You’ll be hearing about it soon. It’s not ready just yet we’re shooting it now but keep an eye out. It’s really great because it’s fun. You know Kim Kimble is always doing something even in the middle of a pandemic child!

AM: Honestly, if you’re able to do so. The pandemic has been a great time to launch, refine, pivot and deploy. People are a little more accessible at the moment.

KK: Exactly.

AM: We always like asking our changemakers as you are definitely one and you’re a trailblazer and being Ms Transformer, who are 3 people that inspire you to be where you are in your career?

KK: That’s easy. Madame CJ Walker, Jas On and my mom. Those are the people that inspire me.

IG @KimbleHairCare

PHOTOS COURTESY | Kim Kimble

Hear Celebrity Hair Stylist Kim Kimble on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see The Transformation with Kim Kimble in mag.

5 WAYS TO PASS THE TIME WHILE WFH

We’re definitely living during strange times. We’re working from home, taking on a number of roles that we have never had to and we find that we’re always looking to change it up when it comes to adding a little variety to how we spend out time inbetween Zoom calls, projects and so much more. Pre COVID-19, we took our lunch break, popped by a neighbors cubicle or office to get a 5 mins escape or even took a moment at our desks. Being at home presents its challenges, but we have 5 ways that you can take a break while you’re WFH.

FITNESS BREAK

Sometimes we find that hours have gone by and we’re navigating projects, meetings and making note of what to do next. The day gets away from us and we realize that we’ve barely gotten up from our desk or couch and have been glued to our screens. It’s important to get up and walk around to ensure that you’re staying lucid as well as getting in a bit of fitness. Whether you’re doing stretches, meditation or 10-15 minutes of movement! We always have a number of apps that we enjoy using and when it comes to only using 7 minutes of your time, we suggest visiting 7 Minute Workout: Fitness App.

WATERCOOLER BREAK

It’s so important in this current time of social distancing and ensuring that you’re being safe as you navigate your life, to check up on those that you would usually see in person or who live away from you. As social people, it’s important to be able to laugh with one another, see one another’s faces and more. Whether you do a personal Zoom, Facetime or use Google Hangouts, this is a great way to make sure that you’re maintaining your relationships, continuing positive mental health and just getting back to basics with people that love you and know you. Make it as in person as possible – even though you’re virtual!

GAMING BREAK

Sometimes, you need to zone out for a few minutes or maybe a meeting was pushed back and you have more time on your hands. We’re all for playing responsibly so heading over to an online live casino is a great way to keep your mind engaged, play a variety of games and to keep yourself motivated throughout your day.

ORGANIZATION BREAK

It’s amazing how many of us have switched up our living spaces! Whether you’ve focused on enhancing your backyard, bedroom or other living areas in your home – making your space your own has become an essential since we spend so much time there. Sometimes, when we work from our desks, we find that piles of paper and other items begin to stack up. When you need a break, taking a few minutes to do a power clean allows your space to stay fresh while letting you come up for air throughout the day. For inspiration, we always enjoy looking at this feed to get home décor inspiration.

COCKTAIL BREAK

A great way to end the day is to have a cocktail. Once your work is done, it’s a nice way to transition from a busy day to your home duties. You can also see if other co-workers want to join you via Zoom or other friends that you know would be interested. If you are living with other people in your bubble, you can make this an event to connect to catch up on what you’re doing as well as upcoming plans. If you live in an area that has outdoor dining, this is also a great way to engage with others that are socially distanced.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

CAN MEDICINAL CANNABIS HELP YOUR WORKOUT SESSION

As an athlete or fitness enthusiast, you need to refuel your body and take supplements to boost muscle recovery after a long training and workout session. Also, injury prevention should be an important aspect of your exercise. Fortunately, CBD is a promising supplement that can assist individuals during their workout sessions.

While reliable scientific evidence concerning CBD's relevance to athletics hasn't been established yet, many researchers are finding pieces of the puzzle.

Take a look at what they have to say about how CBD helps in athletic activities:

1.      Helps in Alleviating Soreness

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is one of the usual effects of pushing yourself too much when working out. It happens because of stress and inflammation in the muscles, which makes it painful and stiff. Usually, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Ibuprofen, are used to treat DOMS. However, it might not work all the time and may have detrimental effects due to long-term use.

With its anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties, which don’t make you high, cannabis is believed to overcome the post-workout pain. Additionally, it's thought to treat muscle spasms linked with Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis diseases. Furthermore, it's safe to use and doesn't affect your performance as an athlete.

To ensure that they're non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive, always check the ingredients of your CBD supplement. Ideally, they shouldn't have THC content or at least less than 0.3%.

2.      Improves Metabolism

CBD is thought to boost existing fat cells' metabolism and prevent the formation of new ones. There are two types of fat cells: white adipose tissue that stores excess body fat, and brown adipose tissue, which is responsible for using the beneficial fats of the body and generating it into heat.

By consuming CBD-containing supplements, they can support the browning of the white adipose tissues, decreasing the percentage of excess fat in the body and allowing a more productive metabolism. However, more studies are still required for this to be definite, but the initial finding is promising for preventing obesity in the future.

Moreover, skipping your meal after exercising can increase your weight rather than cutting them down. Instead, you can inhale CBD vapors as it helps refuel your body.

If you don't want to smoke, incorporating CBD on your foods can help. An excellent example is making your own CBD flour by following this instruction from seed supreme, which can be used for baking and cooking.

3.      Speeds Up Recovery

Injuries are prone to happen while training or working out. To prevent these from happening, you have to pay attention to muscle strengthening. Fortunately, cannabis can benefit your muscles and help you take fitness seriously.

CBD is thought to respond similarly to an anti-catabolic supplement, which is done by strengthening the endocannabinoid receptors. Once the endocannabinoid system operates, it may help prevent muscle loss and speed up the recovery process. Also, high-quality CBD supports the endocannabinoid system and enhances its function.

4.      Improves Sleep and Induce Calmness

Peace of mind and comfort are paramount to having an effective workout session. Taking medical cannabis is a great anti-inflammatory substance that induces calmness and enhances sleep quality. This way, you can focus more on working out or doing your training because you're not bothered by the pain.

Furthermore, an adequate amount of sleep every day is essential for your overall well-being. Cannabis is believed to play a role in your sleep, including:

·       Enhance sleep quality and duration

·       Help people who are suffering from sleep apnea

·       Aid people with PTSD by suppressing their dream

·       Alleviate Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

·       Decrease daytime fatigue

·       Lessens stress and anxiety

Best Ways To Consume CBD

To enjoy the effects of CBD, your product and method of administration significantly matter. There are different ways on how you can use CBD, and you can experiment which is best for your workout sessions.

Edibles are one of the trendy forms as it has a good taste, but it may take hours before it kicks in. People who use edibles often take another one after consuming one edible, which doubles the dosage before the effects hit.

On the other hand, the sublingual route is one of the best ways to take CBD as it's more effective and acts faster. Another way is smoking CBD, but it could cause lung diseases, while vaping may involve residual solvents and chemicals that could be dangerous.

If you're not a fan of vaping or smoking, you can try topical creams where you can apply it to your painful joints and muscles. If you want to relax while soaking yourself after a grueling workout, bath bombs are also a good idea.

Takeaways

Consuming cannabis is believed to alleviate muscle soreness, improve metabolism, improve sleep, calm you down, and speed up your recovery during injury. However, studies backing up these claims are still insufficient. Thus, as an athlete or gym enthusiast, it's advised that you seek help from a professional before trying CBD to prevent unwanted outcomes, ensuring your overall well-being.