Erika's World

Hello! How are you guys tonight? I am good. Looking forward to have a nice time this weekend and I am also hoping for some good news next week.  But hey, you know what I have some more pictures from my photoshoot with Pelle Larsson. I am so excited to share these with you. Give me some critique in the comment section! Good and bad, I want to hear it because I always want to improve and be the best that I can. Have a nice weekend! your writer, Erika

The last workout video of the week comes with a warning, A HUGE WARNING! I should have taken the comments to this video seriously before I tried it. But I was naive. This is an "intense" ab workout from Pamela Reif. I put " " because this video is extreme rather than intense as one person commented. If you're not used to working out your abs then maybe you shouldn't try this one. I workout every day but I don't do a lot of exercises for my abs so this one was very hard for me. Even though it was brutal I am glad that I tried it and I am going to try it again. your writer, Erika

I found this yoga video that is very easy and calm. It's a great video to do for those of you who have never tried yoga before or have only done it a few times. This video is the first video in a series of 30. So if you like this one you can go to her channel and check out the other ones and learn more about yoga. I am sure you'll be a pro after 30 days with Adriene! your writer, Erika

It's Friday! How has your week been? Mine has been good not too bad. I am thinking about going to Rålis tonight and watch Dirty Dancing . That depends on the weather though. It's not looking up right now. If it clears up then maybe. With my workouts there are four things that I like to focus on; stretching, cardio and the butt and thighs. That's why you have been seeing a lot of those kinds of workouts this week. I can only do this from my own point of view. I am sure that a lot of you will get just as good of a workout as I am so don't be afraid to try them out. Todays' video is a 10 minute butt and thigh workout from FitnessBlender. This video may be short but it has a high tempo so you have to focus. Kelli is very great a explaining the exercise beforehand (as always). I am confident that you will have no problem with doing this workout your writer, Erika

Hello! This morning I thought I would share a yoga video from GymRa . I do this video three times a week. I love it because it's so calm and easy to follow. I read the comments to this video on youtube and some people were complaining that it is too fast and that the poses/ exercises are not explained beforehand so it's hard to follow. Someone said that they had to pause they video so that they could finish their breath because the video is too fast. It's not yin yoga. But hey every one's different and that what makes everyone so great. I love this video and have never had any problems following it. Not only do you get a really good stretch you also build some muscles using your own body weight. Comment below (or hit me up on twitter  @erikaworld ) what you think of this video. Is it too fast or is it just right? Have a great day! your writer, Erika

Good morning and hello! Have you had a good nights' sleep? I have because I have this really big and super comfy duvet that is twice the size of my bed. I love to just wrap myself in it. Especially in the winter. Now during the summer it's almost too hot. Almost, I keep it because I like the weight of the duvet. The second workout video this week is also from FitnessBlender (I told you that I love them). The first time that I tried it I loved it because it was only 15 minutes. Don't be fooled and think that those 15 minutes won't give you anything. I thought that this workout was brutal the first time that I tried it! But I love when a workout is brutal because that means that I am challenging my body and that it's going to give me something. Have a nice workout! your writer, Erika

So yesterday I told you guys that I am going to post at least one workout video every day this week. I thought that what better way to kick it off what a bang?! Today I am sharing a cardio workout with focus on the butt and thighs from FitnessBlender. (Most of the videos that I post this week will probably be from FitnessBlender, but I just want you to love them as much as I do). Try it out and write your thoughts about it in the comment section! Have a great day! your writer, Erika

Hello! So what's up? I am sitting here on my balcony not enjoying the weather at all. I am actually freezing and thinking that maybe I should go inside. Okay so I have been thinking lately that I really need to up my workouts. What I mean is that I need to switch it up and make it a little bit more difficult. I am thinking that maybe I should join a gym or maybe I should buy some dumbbells to have at home. I am leaning towards joining a gym. There actually are few gyms in my neighborhood that are cheap. I am going to check them out. So in the meantime when I am trying to decide which gym to join, or if I should even join a gym at all I thought that I would help you all with your workouts. Every day next week I am going to post at least one workout video that I have done and has really helped me. They are all going to vary in length and in difficulty. I thought that I would kick off this thing today so you are actually getting your first workout video right now. This first vid...

Hello and good morning! Here are two versions of one picture as a first look at my photo shoot with photographer Pelle Larsson. Follow Pelle on instagram  @pellegoteborg  :) your writer, Erika

Hello! I have just spent the past two days at my moms' place because it was her birthday. But I am on my way home now. I so wish that I had a driver's license so that I could have a car and drive to and from her instead of taking the train. Though the commute by train is pretty easy but still a car would be easier. It is a good thing that my mom has a few dogs so that I can take them for a walk and still get my exercise. I would say that fitness and that whole having a healthy lifestyle thing has taken a up a big part of my life this past year. It is who I am and I am happy for that. It has taught me so much of what it means/ how you can live your best life the healthy way. If you stay with me here I will take you on a fun journey through fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. We will all learn so much together. I am looking forward to it! your writer, Erika

Hello my darlings! Today I am here on time, well not as late as last night anyway. Sorry about that. I actually had a period a few years ago where I blogged at the end of the day and always posted something around midnight. My reasoning for that was that I couldn't blog at lets say 6 PM because the day was not over yet and cool stuff could still happen and I would want that on my blog. Yeah, I could just have included that the next day but back then I didn't see it as black and white as that. Since I have been really bad at posting workout tips lately that is exactly what you are getting to day. This post is going to be about how much exercise/ physical activity you need every day (yeah that's right E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y). But also how much you should workout because there is a difference between exercise and workout. Maybe we should clear that up before we go any further here. I found a really good quote on a website called Stack Exchange that explains exercise vs. work...

Hello! I workout every single day. I workout a little over an hour. I would never workout less than that. I mean this works well for me. The only time I would sweat it out for only 40 minutes if I would take an hour of lunch and work out during the time instead of eating. But no, I like it this way. As I have said before I only work out at home in my living room. I follow videos on youtube. There are all kinds of workout videos on youtube. I am sure that you you want to try it you will find something that suites you. My workout schedule is quite simple. I do yoga Monday through Wednesday and cardio (that focuses on the butt and thighs) Thursday through Sunday. It is not more complicated than that. But, I also do the plank everyday. the plank is good for overall body strength. I eight minutes of the plank everyday. Two minutes, rest for a few seconds and repeat four times. Try that everyday and you will notice significant changes. Have a nice Tuesday night! your writer, Erika

Cardio exercises may be more important than you think. Young people who do cardio workouts may maintain their memory skills when they're 43-55. A study done back in April 2014 showed that people at an average age of 25 who under went treadmill tests and then 20 years later underwent the same tests and had small decreases were more likely to perform better on executive functions tests than those with big decreases. This is very interesting. Those tests helped to identify and consequently prevent or treat people with a higher risk of developing dementia. Yes, taking care of your body at a young age will benefit you when you are older. You will even notice immediate results. So do yourself a favor exercise and eat healthy. Of course exercise is not a magic trick or a miracle worker for disease prevention but it will get you on a good path to never encountering the big and scary ones. your writer, Erika sources:  https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/home/PressRelease/1266 https://www.s...

You know what, breakfast is actually my favorite meal of the day! Yes I love breakfast! When I go to sleep at night I am so excited to wake up in the morning because I get to eat breakfast. When it comes to breakfast I am a person of habit so I eat the same thing every single day. Organic yoghurt with my homemade granola and sliced fruit (mostly banana). If I am feeling crazy I might have some organic honey or golden syrup. My breakfast this morning. Organic yoghurt with a lot of my homemade granola, some berries and some golden syrup. I am actually shocked when people say that they don't eat breakfast! Breakfast is an important meal. Having breakfast will give you the energy that you need to start the day and through out the day. You know that you should actually have a bigger meal in the beginning of the day rather than at night. Why? Because if you have a big meal in the morning you have all day to burn those calories. If you have a big meal at night you're not going...

Hello! You didn't think that I had forgotten about you? Yeah, I know it's late but I have been on the move all day. Some days are just like that. But I like being occupied. It feels like I am contributing to the world then. I like to think that I make a positive mark wherever I leave. So I talked about yoga yesterday and I thought that I would continue today. I love yoga! I just love how flexible my body has become. I feel so much more confident about myself since I started doing yoga. As I also said yesterday, there is like one billion different styles of yoga out there. I practice power yoga because it focuses as much on stretching your muscles as on building muscle. So your muscles become very long and lean. I also love building muscle. I mean I like having a nice butt. This video below is great! I have done this video for a while now and it is the reason that I have the body that I have today. I focuses on all parts of your body. Try it out and let me know in the comm...

I love yoga! It is my favorite workout method. I would only do yoga but I need cardio. Well all need cardio. I do yoga because I want a flexible body. I love being able to bend my body different ways. I think that is so beautiful! Just look at the Cirque du Soleil performers! My gaash they are gorgeous! I wish that I could be one of them. There are actually a lot of health benefits from doing yoga. Yoga actually has as many mental benefits as physical. Yes! I have never thought of it before but now that I think of it it is the most obvious thing. As far as mental health. Yoga can help with stress, body awareness, sleeping problems plus a whole problems. Some of the physical benefits are increased flexibility (this one is obvious I know), but also increased muscle strength and tone and you will notice that you will have a lot more energy. Yoga is great! There are like one billion different styles go yoga so I am sure that you will find of the suits you. Plus if you have never done y...

If you are the kind of person that don't go outside a lot and never exercise, getting a pet can actually be a great way to change that. I mean, if you for example get a dog you need to go outside and walk your dog a couple of times a day because dogs A) need to go outside to pee and poo and B) dogs need exercise. Since it's your responsibility as the dog's owner to make sure that your dog get the exercise that it needs and that it gets the chance to actually go outside and do its business you will also benefit from it. Some dogs need more excise than others, so if you want a lot of exercise get a dog that needs a lot of exercise. Yes, dogs can be expensive. I am not just talking about what it can cost to buy a dog. I am talking about all the expenses that comes with it. You know like a car. It's not just the what the car itself costs, you also have to get insurance, gas, cleaning the car and so on and so on. It's the same with getting a pet. The pet needs ...

If you are not used to exercising then thinking of ways to start exercising can be really hard. An easy way to start out is actually to just go on walks. Just going for a 30 minute walk is really good cardio (if you don't exercise regularly and if you are very sedentary).  In high school I never used to exercise except for PE. I used get a little out of breath just walking 10 minutes to the grocery store (it was up hill). Then I started going for walks a few times a week and really soon I started noticing a difference. The small things you do will have the biggest impacts! I actually hated working out before. Well it was more that I didn't like to sweat. I still don't like to sweat now either, but that is i.e. when it's because it's hot outside. I love sweating when I exercise. I feel like that is a recipiet for using my body the right way.   / picture source / Do your heart a favor and go on walks! your writer, Erika

I love working out! I work out every single day no excuses. Actually the more excuses that I come up with the more motivated I am to sweat it out. Everyone is not like me. Not everyone likes to work out and people have different priorities. The thing is also that you don't have to workout every single day to be healthy. I wasn't unhealthy before when I used to workout twice a week. The reason I started working out every day was because I wanted better results. Today I thought that I would give some simple tips for you to get in a workout WITHOUT actually having to workout! Howbadah?! My first tip is that if you have a height adjustable desk at work is that you heigher it and stand up at your desk. This is great for your legs. Especialy your thighs and your butt. It may not seem like a huge exircise but if you're not used to standing up for 8h or working out your legs then your legs are going to want to kill you afterwards! It's exhausting! Also make sure that you ...

Hello! I am sitting here on my couch watching Ghostbusters (the new one 2016). Gosh that show is good. Way better than the movie! The movie is great though but the show is greater. I thought about something earlier that I just have to share with you. It's about finding a good breathing technique while working out. Okay this one is more for right after when you've finished your workout. So you know how right after you finished a heavy workout you breath very heavy because you're exhausted from what you just put your body through. It can sometimes take a while before you can breath like normal again. My tip is that when you have finished your workout you take long and death breaths. This will force your body to breath like this and it will slow your heart rate down way faster. You won't feel so out of breath and tired after a workout if you do it. This will give you back the energy that you put out during your workout. Try this and let me know if it works for you! ...