It's A Tracy Anderson Overload!

I already posted one cool Tracy Anderson video earlier this week, but then I found this little treasure in Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP archives. A killer leg and butt workout that you can do literally anywhere. Enjoy.

Should We Make Smokers Pay?

This week I read that Arizona's Medicaid (a government-run heathcare program for low income earners in the US) wants to charge people who smoke more for health cover. Oh, and they also want to hit diabetes patients with an extra fee if they refuse to comply with doctor's orders to lose weight. It's something that a lot of private health insurers in the States already do.

“This is an annual fee that says to consumers, ‘Hey, we’re not going to prevent you from smoking, but you have to put a little bit more into the system because it costs us more,’” says Monica Coury, spokeswoman for the state Medicaid agency. “We don’t care how much you weigh... We care if you are doing something you should be doing to manage your disease.” 

Keeping in mind that smoking costs Australia more tha $31 billion a year and obesity costs in excess of $37.7 billion a year, where do you stand on this issue? Should we ask people who knowingly put their health at risk to literally pay the price?

Fire Up The Pizza Oven.

Poppytalk

Sometimes I think pizzas get a bad wrap. Of course, the greased-up ones you get delivered from Dominos are not good (like really not good) but I found this recipe for a healthy pizza that actually looks quite delicious...

Hummus Vegetable Pizza

1 1/2 cup hummus (homemade or store-bought)
1 cup ricotta cheese, divided
1 head broccoli, broken into florets & lightly steamed
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Flaky salt & freshly ground pepper
Your favorite pizza dough
2 tbs cornmeal
1 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F.

1. Blend together the hummus and 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese until combined. Set aside.

2. After your pizza dough has risen, use 1 tablespoon of olive oil to grease up a walled cookie sheet. I use my hands for this. Sprinkle sheet with cornmeal and then push out or roll out your pizza dough until it spreads to all 4 corners.

3. Spread hummus evenly over pizza dough and scatter the steamed broccoli florets, red pepper slices and onion over top. Sprinkle with salt and give it a good grind of black pepper. Drop the remaining ricotta cheese over the pizza. Place in oven and heat for about 20 minutes or until the crust becomes golden. Slice and eat hot. 

And if you've got any winning topping combos, send 'em my way. Because sharing is caring, you guys.

Get Me A Body Like Brooklyn.

So, if you've been to the cinema lately you might have noticed there's a new Adam Sandler movie out called Just Go With It and it stars a very bikini-licious Brooklyn Decker (who you might also recognise from the Victoria's Secret runway).

And if, by chance, you see the flick (or, hell, just watch the trailer) and find yourself wishing and hoping for a bod like Brooklyn's, you can check her out in all her workout glory in the new Elle magazine fitness DVDs – Workout Yoga, Beauty Sculpt and Cardio Body. How very fashionably fit.

Elle Workout Yoga

On The Couch: Pick A Side...

Hesed Books And Gifts

I saw this yesterday and just had to share. So, Team Harry or Team Edward – which one are you on?

Push It, Push It Real Good.

Women's Health

Q. I want a simple exercise that uses a ton of different muscles. Any ideas?

A. I think the exercise you're fishing for is the humble push-up. You've probably heard of it. It's great for core strength and as well as the abs, it works the chest, shoulders, triceps, back and even the legs. I know, it's awesome, right? And you don't even need any fancy equipment. Just a body-length of space on the ground. But you've gotta fine tune your technique – and that's where this tutorial on the Women's Health website comes in very handy. So give it a quick squiz, then get down and give me twenty!

Maybe I'm Just Behind The Times...

Daily Mail

But are people really wearing legwarmers to the gym, Gisele Bundchen? Maybe it's just a supermodel thing. Either way,  I think I'll pass.

Just Dance.

I stumbled across this video over the weekend.

If you haven't heard of her, Tracy Anderson is the much-talked-about celebrity trainer who has helped stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez trim down, tone up and just look generally fabulous. And one of the key parts of her "method" is dance aerobics. 

Now, I don't do dancing. I have zero coordination and no sense of rhythm. I once tried a Body Jam class with my friend Kara and she will attest to the fact that I was terrible. Kara was a ballerina once so she was not terrible at all. But me? I wanted to leave three minutes into the first track. 

So while this really isn't my style of workout, it is a cool video (it's set to J.Lo's On The Floor, which is one of my favourite training tracks right now) and Nicole does look very cool doing the moves. But when Ms Richie says, "There are no wrong moves in dancing," I worry that she hasn't yet seen me try to bust a move. That might change her tune.

Do you dance to stay fit? And I mean in a studio, not on a nightclub floor after a few too many vinos...

On The Couch: The Lincoln Lawyer

What's the story? Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a shady but slick defence lawyer who runs his business in Beverly Hills out of his old Lincoln. And when he nabs himself a wealthy client in Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), Mick thinks he's hit the jackpot. But, as always in Movieland, things are never as simple as they seem and it all starts to unravel at breakneck speed. 

Why it's worth paying $17.50 to see... Matthew McConaughey is reason enough to see this flick – and not just because he is positively dreamy to look at. He's perfectly cast as the very suave, very likeable defence lawyer Mick. And similarly, Ryan Phillippe really finds his feet and the spoilt, smug defendant. Of course, there are other notable names rounding out the cast – Marisa Tomei, William H Macy and Josh Lucas to name a few – but what really gives this film it's steed is the tight direction, snappy script and solid story. From start to finish, it's just a really enjoyable film. But a word of warning, if you want to enjoy the twists in the plot, steer clear of the trailer, because this 2:30min baby gives the whole shebang away up front.