TIPS FROM BRAZILIAN FITNESS EXPERT (RIO CARNIVAL 24TH FEB – 1ST MARCH 2017)
It’s February so it’s carnival time, as Rio de Janeiro gears up for 2017’s spectacular carnival, long-time Rio procession dancer and Notthinghill Carnival Queen, Juliana Campos, explains how she works her Brazilian booty to keep fit for the fiesta!
Exercise coach and fitness expert Juliana says, “You don’t need a gym and fancy equipment to raise your metabolism, burn fat and tone. Doing a workout at home with household objects and your favourite music can build that perfectly toned Brazilian figure”.
WARM UP
This warm up’s fun! Choose some great music – preferably with a Brazilian drumbeat – and dance for 15 minutes. Then do 100 star jumps.
CARDIO RESISTANCE
SOFA STEPS: Make the sofa your best friend, but for exercise, not to lounge about on! Holding a litre bottle of water in each hand, step up onto the sofa and lift the bottles of over your head. When you step down, go into the squat position, and repeat the whole procedure 3 x 10. Finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
CHAIR PRESS UPS: Place a chair in front of you with its back securely flush with the wall. Then placing your hands the width of the chair seat and assume the press position, and press up and down 3 x 10. Again, finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING: Either on a chair or on the floor, keep your hands at shoulder-width. Then, with a straight back and legs, bring your right knee towards your right elbow, and then the same with your left, just as if you’re climbing a mountain. Repeat 3 x 20, and finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
CHAIR SQUATS: Placing a chair behind you, stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms parallel to the floor at shoulder level. Sit down and get up again, all the time keeping that straight back. To get up, you should use your quads and your abs – not your back. 3 x 10 and finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
WALKING LUNGES: Walk like a duck around your house, with your knees almost touching the floor. Keeping your spine very straight, make sure you do 30 lunges with each leg. Finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
KICK-OUT SQUATS: Squat down with your feet hip width apart and kick back with your right leg, and then the left. Repeat 3 x 10 and – you’ve guessed it! – finish with 20 seconds of star jumps.
STRETCH: Always end your workout by stretching all your muscles properly!
DIET TIPS
Juliana is keen to stress that keeping a Carnival-Queen body isn’t all about exercise – think about what you eat too.
Before your workout, have a black coffee with a teaspoonful of coconut oil stirred into it. This will speed up your metabolism and do wonders for your workout.Drink lots of water while you’re training – you need to keep hydrated as well as flush out waste products.
Eat light, lean and clean – salads with plenty of olive oil for example. Fish is great, but Juliana’s mantra is “meat’s a treat for twice a week”. Avoid junk food, butter, fried food and sugary drinks.When you go out for dinner, politely ask the waiter / chef that you like your food light, lean and clean. That means no butter, no salt, lemon on the side, and a little bowl of olive oil for flavor. Sometimes it’s good to relax a bit, and the weekends are your ‘cheat days’! Have a little of what you fancy – a pizza or burger for example – but no more than half a portion. Try Juliana’s favorite ‘Acai in the Bowl’. High in antioxidants, it’s made with pieces of banana and tastes like ice cream. Please see here for the link to her recipe. Who said getting your body ready for the Carnival had to be a punishment!Press, Enquiries & High-Res Images
