The Eighties Are The New Twenties...

German gymnast Johanna Quaas knows how to grow old defiantly!

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Awwwhhh Yeahrrrrrrr!

[screenshot gif via sohohouse]

Marawa Ibrahim's "Awwwhhh Yeahrrrrrrr!" can only mean one thing. It's Hoola Hoop time!

American toy inventors Arthur "Spud" Melin and Richard Kerr get all the credit for creating the hoola hoop and fuelling its craze in the 1950s and '60s.

Apparently, though the originators of the twirling art were young Australian children who used ratton hoops in much the same way that Melin and Kerr's plastic versions are used.

Doing a fine job of putting her nation's stamp back on the art of hoola Australian Marawa Ibrahim aka Marawa The Amazing is bringing the exercise form back into vogue with a touch of her trademark quirk.

[photo via nattybumbum]

Follow Miss Amazing's lead and some of the health benefits you'll get from a good twirl are:

1. Better Shape

Hoola hooping engages the hips, abs, hamstrings, quads and glutes. In order to keep the hoop up a good amount of effort is required from these muscles which means you burn fat. And the constant tensing and relaxing of these same muscles also helps to tone them.

Using weighted hoops can add to both these effects.

[photo: joduck]

2. Better Heart

As a low impact exercise that can leave you slightly out of breath it's a prefect aerobic activity that challenges your heart just enough to build itself and ward off high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks.

4. Better Coordination

Rhythm and timing are essential to keep the hoola whizzing away and off the floor. As your coordination gets better adding hoops will improve your rhythm and timing a lot more. [photo via marawatheamazing]

5. Better Mood

Going to the gym is not everyones cup of cha and hoola hooping provides a fun alternative that you can do at home, in the park or just about anywhere.

To get you started here is Marawa's Hoolla Schoola:

For more info and to get yourself some decent hoolas visit Marawa's website and download her app too.

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Getting Sweaty Is Not Feminine...

According to a recent BBC article girls exercise concerns were that "getting sweaty was not feminine" and as a result few participated in sport and fitness.

Along with the lack of female friendly physical education classes, like Zumba, being employed in schools a lack of positive female role models was also suggested as the reason.

Enter friend of fizzYcaL and the inspiration for us starting this blog, Sally Moss.

The former Cambridge graduate and UK civil servant swapped the brief case and pinstripes for barbells and dumbbells in pursuit of her bliss...weight lifting. The hobby has led Sally to compete at amateur level, to teach, and to personal train.....and she’s never been happier.

Gubernatrix.co.uk is the home for Sally’s thoughts and musings on nutrition and exercise and is a valuable source of inspiration for anyone, especially women, considering taking up weight lifting.

A great role model for girls as well as guys, Sally believes (and we agree) that being fit, healthy and strong complements femininity!

One of our favourite posts on her blog is the '10 Good Reasons Why Women Should Stay Away From Weights.' She writes:

"1. You might break a nail.

2. You could even bruise a male ego or two.

3. You’ll eat properly and still be able to lose fat. Work of the devil!

4. You’ll look more like an athlete and less like a runway model. Skeletal is sexy, right?

5. You’ll be able to lift heavy things without asking a man for help, thus upsetting the balance of the universe.

6. You will be seen in public without high heels.

7. You’ll grunt, sweat and feel sore. So unladylike!

8. You’ll be proud of your pert bum instead of being self conscious about it like a normal woman.

9. You’ll be more active and confident instead of sitting around looking pretty. What are you, some kind of feminist?

10. You’ll be stronger, leaner and sexier – and we all know where that can lead!"

Encouraging women to challenge their views like this have meant Sally has persuaded a large audience of women of the benefits of weight training.

Another successful vehicle she uses to do this is her ‘Ladies Who Lift’ sessions. These ‘women only’ classes teach and promote weight training in an environment void of machismo and more palatable for ladies.

As Sally says, working out with like minded women is “more motivating and productive than training just with men.”

For details on Sally’s ‘Ladies Who Lift’ sessions visit ladieswholift.co.uk and check out the intro video:

[Photos courtesy of Sally Moss]

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Spot The Sixth Dancer!

Count the dancers! Five!? Nah...six! Fatou Tera, the lady in the middle has a baby on board.

The heavily pregnant, Ms Tera confidently leads her crew of fellow French ragga dancers in a really cool routine.

If you like the vid as much as we do then lets get this piece of magic viral people - send it to everyone you know!

Courtship Ain't What It Used To Be!!!

femme fizzYcaL - Anowa Adjah

Though self-proclaimed as a "Multi-talented Powerhouse," Anowa Adjah is deserving of the title. The strings to her bow include holder of a BA in Public Relations, entrepreneur, choreographer, model, self-taught gymnast and fitness enthusiast.

Her achievements have not come without struggle. Anowa carries her impressive 5'10", 200 pound physique with the confidence that's earned her a career as a plus size model, but as a young lady her stature drew negative attention from her peers.

The verbal abuse led her to be withdrawn, angry and confrontational. To combat the destructive behaviour her parents encouraged her to pursue sports and athletics to positively channel her negative energy. She excelled at basketball, track and field and dance.

Despite the encouraging turnaround further trials and tribulations including illness and depression blocked her path, but only temporarily. Now Anowa's mission is to inspire naturally voluptuous, big-boned women who would otherwise shy away from keeping fit to embrace their physiques and at the same time to follow a healthy lifestyle!

Anowa says, "No one has a choice in their genetic makeup, you have to learn how to look at your unique qualities as your blessings."

For more info on Anowa head here.

femme fizzYcaL - Crystal West

"I am, it turns out, endlessly fascinated by what my body and mind can accomplish, if training intensity and a healthy diet are maintained."

It's this youthful curiosity that keeps Crystal West a 44 year young lawyer, personal trainer and model in superb shape!

Photo by Mike Neveux for April 2009 Ironman Magazine.

Two years ago Crystal could only do 2 pull ups and now her record to date is 1,210 mixed grip pull ups in 80 minutes. Here she is effortlessly freestyling on the pull up:

Check out Crystal's website and youtube channel.

Thanks to fizzYcaL FITNESS reader Bizzy for the heads up on this one!

Paddy Jones, 75, wins Spain's "You've Got Talent"...

75 year young, Paddy Jones took up salsa 5 years ago following the death of her husband. The winning Grandama of 7 flipped, spun and flew her way to a standing ovation and cheque for £9055 on Spain's Tu Si Que Vales.



Full story here.

femme fizzYcaL - 45 Years Young Darla Benfield Personal Trainer

Tip - Never employ a personal trainer that does not walk, talk and look the part!

If we lived anywhere near the Lincoln and Greater Sacramento Area of the USA 45 years young Mother of two Darla Benfield with over 20 years experience in the exercise industry and numerous health and fitness related degrees under her belt would be our first choice Personal Trainer.As she says she wears "the outward appearance of fitness...not to intimidate, but to motivate, as I am a 45 year old woman on a mission to reach out and help as many people as I can showing that achieving this lifestyle is possible at any age."

Checkout her website and blog!

femme fizzYcaL - Mel B

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Wibble Wobble.......

We all have a dominant body side which selfishly takes more of the strain when we are exercising and leaves the other side slightly weaker.

By exercising unilaterally which means using one side of the body at a time we are able to isolate and target the weaker side, improve balance and overall core strength.


The above video by Gubernatrix shows a number of unilateral exercises that you can incorporate into your routine. Not only will they help with imbalances but they are also a simple way of knocking workout boredom on its head and shaking up the routine.

Even the humble push up can benefit. Check out Siobhan English's one arm, one leg push ups.

femme fizzYcaL - Jade Johnson

Introducing British long-jumper Ms Jade Johnson - Ouchieeeee!!!!

femme fizzYcaL - Dara Torres

Dara Torres is an extremely fit 41 year old mother and sprint swimmer who is competing in the Beijing olympics!!!

Courtship Ain't What It Used To Be!!!

Ohhhh My Gosh What Have I Done.......

I seem to have laid down the gauntlet but it wasn't my gauntlet to lay. Check the comments on this link - "Ladies There Are No Excuses"

I apologise to both Visionquester and Gubernatrix for pitting these two very inspirational ladies against each other.

One of my pet causes is to encourage more ladies to train by taking my hat off to those that do.

I salute you both!!!

Readers especially the ladies let me know if it is overly melodramatic, overly diplomatic and lame if I remove my comments on the post or is this spirit of competition that I've inadvertently created something to revel in?

Your comments please.....

Ladies There Are No Excuses!!!!!

The first lady has the disadvantage of the wall being so close to her legs so she can't use any leg momentum to aid her pull-ups. So my money would be on her if they were competing!!

Checkout - www.gubernatrix.co.uk and www.visionquester2.blogspot.com