Meghan Markle Swears This Workout Class Transformed Her Body—So I Tried It

You Need Posted on by
[brightcove:5523727483001 default]

This article originally appeared on People.com.

What Is It: Meghan Markle’s favorite Megaformer class, an hour-long, fat-burning workout following Sebastien Lagree’s Lagree Method on his new Megaformer 3K machine. (Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian West and many more celebrities are also big fans.)

Who Tried It: Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE writer and reporter

Level of Difficulty: 9 (on a scale from 1 to 10). I don’t have kids yet, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the burn was similar to the pain of childbirth.

Royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle recently said she loves taking classes at Pilates Premium, a fitness studio in Santa Monica that offers the celeb-favorite Megaformer program, created by Sebastien Lagree.

“Pilates Platinum is hands down the best thing you could do for your body,” Markle, 36, told Women’s Health U.K. “The results are incredible.”

“Your body changes immediately … give it two classes and you will see a difference.”

Another studio where the former Suits star goes for her Megaformer fix is Studio Lagree, which has locations in her old and new hometowns of Toronto and London. And, lucky for me, they just opened a new studio in New York City. So I headed to Astoria to try Markle’s favorite workout.

I went into the class a little smug — I do CrossFit four times a week, run on the other days, and I’ve tried everything from Pure Barre to The Fhitting Room to Flywheel. But the Megaformer classes are a whole new animal.

Our class was led by Dede Lagree, who, along with her husband Sebastien, runs the main Lagree Fitness Studio in Los Angeles. We were using their brand-new Megaformer 3K machine, which is recognizable to anyone who has tried Pilates before. But this class takes it up a notch.

“Pilates classes are low-intensity, low-impact,” Dede explained. “The Megaformer is high-intensity, low-impact, so you’ll immediately be sweating.”

Dede dove right in with lower body exercises. The goal is to be constantly moving, but slower is better, for an extra burn. We started in a squat, with one foot on the stationary part of the machine, and the other on the sliding platform, and slowly moved our legs in and out. It. Was. Painful. We were only one exercise in and already getting the infamous “Lagree Shakes.” But it was a good sign that our muscles were already working and burning.

“I think the reason why it’s so challenging the first time is because you’re using muscles that you don’t activate if you’re on the floor doing other workouts,” Dede explained to me. “You have to use your core, you have to use the muscles in your legs, to help with the stability while you’re in the exercises.”

We cycled through more leg work, from weighted donkey kicks to sliding split squats for 30 straight minutes, and I (along with the rest of the class!) had to take frequent breaks to calm my spasming muscles. From there we went on to core work, like sliding planks, and then finished off our workout with arm exercises with the hand weights attached to the Megaformer. Thankfully, I found the arm exercises fairly easy, which is the only reason why I gave this workout a 9 instead of a 10.

The Megaformer class was incredibly tough, but it’s definitely an amazing workout (a point my sore thighs are making today). Dede says that you can torch 800 to 1,000 calories in a single, one-hour class, but the calorie burn continues for several hours.

“The reason why is it’s so slow, and you’re using every single muscle,” she says. “While your slow-twitch muscle fibers repair, your body is using energy, calories and stored sugar so you honestly become a fat-burning machine.”

The Verdict: I had a hard time with this class, and was begging to go back to a CrossFit WOD as we used the Megaformer — but 24 hours later I wanted to tackle it again! There’s nothing like a good challenge.

News24.com | LIVE: ANC Conference – Mahumapelo confident NDZ will be next ANC president

You Need Posted on by

SA, forgive state capture like you ‘forgave apartheid’ – Dlamini

ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini says South Africans must practise forgiveness when it comes to state capture, in the same way they forgave apartheid.

Dlamini sat down with News24 Politiki on Sunday at the ANC’s national conference in Nasrec, to discuss among other things, the role of the league in the battle over final delegate credentials.

When asked about the lack of consequences for people who have been implicated in the #GuptaEmails, such as Carl Niehaus and Free State chairperson Ace Magashule, Dlamini said citizens were being hypocritical.

“South Africans, why are they not forgiving? They always want to label people. Why are they not saying, ‘let’s listen to Carl for a change and give him an opportunity to change’.”

eNCA | Parental sleepover facility unveiled at Bara Hospital

You Need Posted on by

JOHANNESBURG – The Gauteng Health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa on Sunday unveiled a paediatric surgical outpatient and parental sleepover facility at Soweto’s Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.

With her ANC colleagues locked in discussions at the crucial ANC elective conference, Ramokgopa took the opportunity to open the new unit for children in the province.

READ: Baragwanath Hospital suspends four over decomposed body

The facility will help provide integrated support for the families of young patients with surgical conditions.

The MEC expressed her pleasure at the unveiling of the project, which was done in collaborated with GlaxoSmithKline and Surgeons for Little Lives.

The facility will be fully operational in a few days’ time.

eNCA

eNCA | WATCH: What it takes to win the ANC presidency

You Need Posted on by

JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday adopted credentials, starting the process of electing a new party president.

The issue of credentials was contentious and even challenged in court, which led to significant delays at the Johannesburg gathering.

Three courts on Friday ruled against branches believed to be in favour of presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who faces stiff competition from Cyril Ramaphosa, who has an early edge, in what is believed to be a contest that is too close to call.

eNCA’s Gareth Edwards unpacks the implications of the court rulings, as reflected in the new credentials, in the video above.

eNCA

News24.com | Announcement of new ANC president now only expected Monday morning

You Need Posted on by

Johannesburg – The announcement of the next leader of the ANC is now only expected to take place on Monday morning.

This was after the credential process for the 54th elective conference was delayed from its scheduled time on Saturday afternoon following the outcomes of court cases in the North West, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, the party’s deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said on Sunday.

Duarte held an impromptu press briefing following the adoption of credentials.

 – FOLLOW THE LIVE UPDATES

She said there were no inflated numbers of delegates during the adoption of credentials for the conference.

“Credentials is not just about nodding your head, it’s [about] checking thoroughly… There was no inflation whatsoever,” she assured the media.

The members of the provincial executive committee (PEC) of KwaZulu-Natal will not vote unless appointed as branch delegates, she said.

In the North West, 35 branches were disqualified.

“It takes a lot of work because you also have to explain to the delegate why they have been disqualified. They had to be converted to non-voting delegates.”

‘We do it for credibility’

In the Free State, 40 branches, with a fairly substantial amount of delegates, were disqualified. The PEC there would also not be able to vote, unless appointed as branch delegates.

She added the situation with credentials had created difficulty, “however we have managed it”.

She dismissed allegations that the delay in the adoption of credentials by a day was unusual.

“It’s not unusual to delay credentials. We do it for the credibility. This is the one point where people used to… [approach the] court. We have been extremely careful… The credentials have been adopted.”

 – SPECIAL REPORT: #ANC VOTES

Next in the ANC programme was the discussion around proposals for changes to the ANC constitution. This would happen during the closed session.

The nominations of the top positions would then follow in an open session.

“We hope to start voting at some point later this afternoon and have those results possibly by tomorrow [Monday] morning.”

An organisational report by secretary general Gwede Mantashe would be delivered on Monday as well.

She said the party was hoping that the conference would be over by Wednesday night.

Visit our special report, #ANCVotes, for all the news, analysis and opinions about the ANC’s national elective conference.

Sport24.co.za | Australia a step closer to regaining Ashes

You Need Posted on by

Cape Town – Australia are six wickets away from winning back the Ashes after reducing England to 132/4 at stumps on the fourth day, the tourists still 127 runs from making the home side bat again in the third Ashes Test in Perth.

Facing a deficit of 259 runs after the Aussies declared on a mammoth 662/9, England were pegged back early as opener Alastair Cook (14) and Mark Stoneman (3) fell to seamer Josh Hazlewood.

England captain Joe Root (14) was caught at slip off the very first delivery of off-spinner Nathan Lyon as the visitors slipped to 60/3.

James Vince and first innings centurion Dawid Malan added 40 for the fourth wicket before Vince was clean bowled for 55 by a Mitchell Starc ball that straightened off a deteriorating WACA surface.

Malan (28 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (14 not out) were at the crease when rain brought an early end to proceedings just after the tea interval.

England will need to bat the majority of the final day, which will be 98 overs long, to save the game and go into the final two Tests of the series with score still at 2-0.

Earlier, England seamer James Anderson broke Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh’s 301-run stand with the second ball of the morning after Australia resumed on 549 for four.

Allrounder Marsh fell leg before to Anderson and was unable to add to his overnight score of 181.

The wicket triggered a mini-collapse as the hosts lost three for 12 with the dismissals of Smith (239) and Mitchell Starc (one) in quick succession.

Wicketkeeper Tim Paine (49 not out) and Pat Cummins steadied the home side with a 93-run stand before latter was out lbw, also to Anderson, for 41.

Lyon was the last Australian wicket to fall off Anderson, when he skied a catch for Moeen Ali to be out for four.

Anderson finished with figures of 4-116 from 37.3 overs.

Health24.com | Is your water hydrating you?

You Need Posted on by

As summer temperatures soar, you might be tempted to add an extra water bottle to your ride to stay better hydrated.

But before you do, you should know a few things about how your body actually absorbs fluid.

Hydration and fluid absorption are not the same

Just drinking a ton of water doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily able to use all of it, explains Stacy Sims, PhD, founder of Osmo Nutrition.

Yes, you want to drink enough, but to achieve a well-hydrated state, you actually need to absorb the fluids you’re consuming.

“Being hydrated means that you have all of your total body water compartments at a relatively even balance,” she says. “Fluid absorption is drinking something and pulling that fluid into different compartments.”

Otherwise, you’re just giving yourself more reasons to pee.

You need more than just water

When considering the water in your body, think about this: While it’s true that we are primarily made up of water, none of it is plain H2O.

So for your drink to be easily absorbed within the gut and to spread into the cells that need it most, it needs to have the right mix of water and electrolytes.

“You primarily need some sodium and a bit of glucose in a drink,” Sims says. “A bit of sugar in with the electrolytes gives the best absorption so that you’re able to pull that fluid across and mitigate dehydration issues.”

Drinking your kilojoules may be hurting your ride and your gut

Just because you shouldn’t only drink plain water doesn’t mean that you should opt for kilojoule-laden sports drinks. These sugary beverages sit in your stomach and draw water from other spaces in the body – essentially dehydrating you in the process.

“You should never be looking at your drink as a calorie source because then it’s not going to hydrate you. You’ll end up pulling water from other places to dilute it,” Sims says.

Women may need a different drink mix than men

Sims is well known for saying, “Women are not small men.”

She’s based much of her research and product development on the concept, specifically when it comes to women’s needs for sports drinks.

“Women can’t absorb as much fructose as men, so sports drinks containing fructose tend to contribute to GI distress and dehydration in women. It’s like dumping a bunch of carbohydrates into your body,” she says.

The fructose hangs out in the intestines until you can activate it.

If you’re a female cyclist shopping for a sports drink, steer clear of those that are high in fructose.

Pregame for your ride with a pinch of salt

If you love salty food, you’ll love Sims’ next piece of advice: Drink water with a pinch of sea salt throughout the day, especially before a ride, to prep for maximum fluid absorption during your ride.

During exercise, your body is busy sending blood flowing to muscles, instead of expending energy moving fluid across the intestines.

However, during rest, that blood flow diversion doesn’t happen quite the same way.

So there’s adequate glucose in the stomach and intestines to help transport water, as long as there is also enough sodium present.

“If you drink water with a little bit of salt while not exercising, it actually facilitates the fluid being absorbed,” Sims says, “because you don’t have to pull sodium from other places into the intestines for absorption. It’s already right there.”

Over-drinking can be as bad as under-drinking

Over-drinking is a problem for riders, both in terms of hydration status and, if you’re using a sugary drink, weight gain.

“New athletes who have gone through programs like Team in Training often over-drink as they try to improve performance,” Sims says. “This is because it’s been instilled in them to drink 250ml every 15 minutes, regardless of what they’re doing and who they are.”

The idea that athletes should drink X amount of fluid per hour is a mistake, but unfortunately…

…There’s no perfect formula for how much to drink

There is no simple calculation to determine exactly how much you need to drink on a ride. Your gender, weight, sweat rate and fitness level are all factors, as are the conditions you’re riding in (hot, cold, wet or dry) and the type of ride you’re doing.

Drinking just the right amount is a game of trial and error, but consulting an expert, like a sports nutritionist or even your coach, may help get you closer to perfect hydration status.

This article was originally featured on www.bicycling.co.za

Image credit: iStock

Molly Hurford

NEXT ON HEALTH24X

Java Solutions Architect

You Need Posted on by

Java Solutions Architect in Cape Town | Development | Job Mail | 3162560

This site uses cookies. By browsing this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read more about our use of personal information on our Privacy Policy. x

<< back

Education: BSc Computer Science Degree
Experience: 5 years
Reference:
Job Description: Cape Town based company seeks a highly skilled Java Solutions Architect to drive the company’s code development. Will be responsible for creating and maintaining extensive and reusable applications based on industry best practices.

Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology or Computer Science a MUST!
Minimum 5 years of experience
Experienced in associated technologies advantageous

Should you meet the requirements for this position, please email your CV to it.careers@goldmantech.co.za or fax to 086 668 8041. You can also contact us 021 555 0952.

Correspondence will only be conducted with short listed candidates. Should you not hear from us within 3 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Get Alerts

To Apply for this Job,

OR

News24.com | Conference delay expected as ANC NEC meets over court judgments

You Need Posted on by

Johannesburg – The ANC’s 54th elective conference is expected to be delayed as the party’s national executive committee (NEC) holds an emergency meeting following court judgments against the KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and North West’s Bojanala regional conferences.

The NEC meeting was expected to have started at 08:00, while the ANC’s conference is scheduled to start at 09:00 at the Nasrec expo centre, south of Johannesburg.

The unprecedented court judgments have seen more than 100 delegates barred from voting at the conference. The race between presidential candidates Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is so close that a few hundred votes could cost the candidates a win.

The three provinces were headed to courts to appeal the judgments, with the North West saying once it has lodged an appeal, affected delegates will attend the conference. But other leaders have said this risks the legitimacy of the conference.

Read more: ANC hold an emergency special NEC meeting

They have argued that affected delegates should be barred from attending the conference as their branch meetings were declared “unconstitutional” by the courts, but if they attend they should not be given voting powers at the conference. 

On Friday, allegations of manipulation of the registration process and buying of delegates to influence the outcome of the elections were rife. WhatsApp messages alleging that certain party leaders were changing names of delegates chosen by branches with those who supported their presidential candidate were also circulating. 

The allegations and court judgments are expected to be raised when credentials are supposed to be adopted. A long and heated battle that could derail the much anticipated conference is expected.

‘Cheat proof system’

ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte said theirs was a “cheat proof system”.

“The process is quite thorough, it’s impossible for this process to be cheated because it starts with a branch mandated delegate registering as a branch mandated delegate,” said a tired Duarte after hours of assisting delegates from the different provinces across the country get their accreditation for the watershed conference.

“Provinces are allowed to make minimum changes in the case of injury of an individual, illness, death in the family, that sort of thing, for no other reason can a change be made. It doesn’t allow changes in fact,” she explained.

Duarte also said she and other officials helping delegates did not encounter serious issues.

“The issues we were anticipating, primarily issues such as they [the delegates] were in a branch general meeting, they were verified but they don’t appear on the list. Not many, such a small percentage that it is insignificant. But we are dealing with it anyway,” said Duarte on Friday.

By Saturday morning, there were still delegates from the Free State who claimed they were not registered yet, whilst those affected by the court judgment were accredited. One Free State delegate, aligned to the Ramaphosa campaign, said he hoped that the NEC will resolve the registration challenges to avoid a collapse of the conference during credentials.

The supporters of both Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa are brimming with confidence and claim to have the numbers to win the race to replace Jacob Zuma.

ANC NEC member Mathole Motshekga told News24 that the court judgments had revealed that fraudulent conduct was only present in provinces behind Dlamini-Zuma.

“In all the provinces that support the deputy president, there is no evidence of fraudulent conduct, which means that he is backed by people committed to a clean organisation and clean government of the future.”

‘Victory is certain’

He said the court judgments had vindicated Ramaphosa’s supporters who have always had the suspicion that “people will try and steal the conference”, starting at branch level.

He said the judgments were a blessing in disguise because they would help the ANC identify the rot within the organisation and rebuild from an informed position.

A fight is expected in the NEC meeting, with ANC Youth League president Collen Maine, a Dlamini-Zuma supporter, saying that the judiciary had become “very political”.

“The judges are working with some among in the ANC to determine the outcome of conference. We remain unshaken, victory is certain, agents of white monopoly capital will not lead.

“Nobody is going to lead us through the courts,” Maine said.

“If the judges want to lead the ANC and to participate, they must tell us and we will allow them a delegation so they participate in the congress and not use the courts to hold us to ransom,” he said. 

Visit our special report, #ANCVotes, for all the news, analysis and opinions about the ANC’s national elective conference.