Motivational Monday

“Never say that you can't do something, or that something seems impossible, or that something can't be done, no matter how discouraging or harrowing it may be; human beings are limited only by what we allow ourselves to be limited by: our own minds. We are each the masters of our own reality; when we become self-aware to this: absolutely anything in the world is possible.

Master yourself, and become king of the world around you. Let no odds, chastisement, exile, doubt, fear, or ANY mental virii prevent you from accomplishing your dreams. Never be a victim of life; be it's conqueror.”


― Mike Norton

Fitness Friday

Check this stuff out.  This week I hit a little bit of everything.  Nutritional, emotional, and the physical. 


Food Is First-  Skip down to where it starts with Food is First.  This is a true statement, always eat real food first.  Protein > Good Fats > Non Starchy Veggies

Willpower

Crawl!! So many benefits to crawling around on the ground.  I love incorporating these movements into my warm-up as well as workouts.  Here are the many benefits of crawling.

Eat Fat to Lose Fat- I say that meaning healthy fats, like omega 3's




Weekend Workout
In honor of the crawl article, we're gonna rock some crawling movements for this weekends killer workout. 

Inchworm/Caterpillar - 10 (add a push-up for more of a challenge)
Spiderman Climbs - 20
Front Switches - 10
Bucket Drops - 10
Scorpions - 10

Rest

Crawl like a Bear (Same arm and leg move) 50 ft
Crawl like a Dog (Opposite arm and leg move) 50 ft
Crawl like a Crab (Opposite arm/leg move) 50 ft (25 forward/25 backward)

Rest

Finish off with an alternating Tabata Set of 20 seconds work/10 seconds break for 8 rnds
Bodyweight Squats (go for speed)
Ice Skaters

Done!!!

Motivational Monday

If you say you can or you can't you are right either way”
― Henry Ford

So why not take the positive route and say you CAN.

Fitness Friday

Happy Friday!!!!  This week, more nutrition articles, and one on hormone balance.


5 more nutrition tips

7 Steps to flexible diet- 7 easy steps/tips for your diet

Female Hormone Balance- Hormonal levels are complex

Fix your posture- Odds are your posture sucks.  Start fixing it

Are you making any of these mistakes?- Stress, Carbs, Cardio Overload, Gluten/Dairy, Vitamin D

One last piece on nutrition-  more geared towards men, but can still apply to women.


Weekend Workout
3 mini circuits, each exercise lasting 30 seconds.  Do each circuit twice before moving on to the next circuit

1.  Prisoner Squats
     T-Pushups
     Ice Skaters
     Lateral Lunges

2.  Burpee
     Crossing/Curtsy Lunge
     Mountain Climber

3.  Pushup with reach
     Duck Walk-  Try with hands behind your head for an added challenge
     Inchworm
     Single Leg squat or Reverse Lunge
     Kick Through

Really love the kick through/front switches.  Looks like nothing, but incredible amount of core and coordination to rock that exercise.   Get moving using your own body.

A Little Spring Cleaning

Spring is upon us, and as usual, gym goers everywhere start focusing on their body composition and making sure they are in good enough shape to rock that bathing suit for the summer. But are they doing everything they can in order to get their body composition to an ideal state?

What it all boils down to when it comes to altering ones body, in terms of fat loss, is diet. I don't mean diet as is restrict everything and cut down calories. I really hate that word, "diet." "Diet" seems to equal "restriction," and that's not what it is all about. Diet should just be what you eat on a day to day basis. Lets call it proper nutrition, or lifestyle change. It has been said that this aspect can be anywhere from 60% to 80% of the fat loss equation. This is most definitely true as YOU CAN'T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!! Reign in that nutrition pillar, and results should follow.

The next aspect that is also super important is your training/exercise.

Nutrition + Exercise = Awesomeness

Movement is the key to burning calories. The more you move, the better. However this is not an open invitation to just mindless go about walking on a treadmill or ellipticalling (yea i made up a word, so what) on an elliptical. I'm talking real movement, real training sessions.

Finally, sometimes the body needs a little push in the right direction and that is where minor supplementation can come in. I am not suggesting taking silly fat burners, because if you read the article from last Fridays, "Fitness Friday," you would know that most if not all fat burners are bogus. However, that's not to say that there are ways to boost your metabolism in one way or another.

Nutrition

First and foremost, get rid of the crap in your diet. Eliminating processed food from your diet will go a long way towards getting you towards your goals. Sometimes this is a hard step as people have grown accustomed to their processed foods. If you start to look at your body as a luxury car, and you should, you wouldn't want to put toxic sludge or crappy fuel into it. You'd want to fill it with the best, cleanest fuel possible. Do the same with your body.

Are you eating enough fat? Seriously are you? I'm talking healthy fats, not garbage fats and Omega 3's are one of the top fats to be taking. This is because all cells have a fat layer to them (cell wall), and the production of certain hormones needs those healthy fats. So don't skimp on the fat.

Protein is key! It is filling and aids in muscle repair from your workouts.

Eat your veggies! Seriously, fill up on those vegetables.

DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES- Stick to water and tea (green tea especially). Staying hydrated creates an ideal environment for you body to burn fat. Try aiming for about 1/2 your body-weight in ounces to drink each day. Maybe a little more.

Sounds like a lot to keep track of and follow, but it'll be worth it in the end, and changing little habits now will go a long way to making habits permanent.

Training

Your training and workout sessions should be intense and full of movement. And movement doesn't just have to come in the gym. It can come anywhere at anytime. Sports, walking, random back levers and human flags at the park scaring the little kids away. Movement is everything.

Another key aspect to your training is to train hard, train heavy. This is important to induce hormonal responses that are conducive to fat burning.

Lastly, intense circuits and intervals that tap into an anaerobic response will ignite your fat burning furnace even further.

Supplement

I rarely if ever suggest supplements as you should be getting most vitamins and minerals in your daily nutrition strategy. However, sometimes there is a need for it. The top supplement that I can suggest for fat loss is Omega-3 fish oil. Again this goes back to making sure you're eating those healthy fats.  This will reduce the inflammation that occurs in your body on a daily basis. 
Speaking of diet, supplementing your protein intake with a quality protein supplement (whey protein powder) ensures that you will get enough protein in your diet. Use it in your shakes or oatmeal, or really anything. Ive been using it to make pancakes, shakes, I've even seen brownies and ice cream made with it. So possibilities are endless.

Vitamin B is also huge when it comes to fat loss as well, so think about incorporating that as well if you are deficient. 

I know this is a lot to handle in one post, but little changes over time can make a huge difference.  Take on one habit at a time, and slowly it'll build and become routine. 

 

"I didn't say it was going to be easy, but I can promise it will be worth it"

Motivational Monday

Never Give Up
If you have a bad day, a bad meal, a bad workout, cut your losses and move on. Don't let it weigh on you, and don't let it hold you back. Its only minor in the overall picture. It can be dealt with. The most important thing is to get back on track immediately. Just never ever give up.


Good luck to all running the Boston Marathon!

Fitness friday

Fitness Friday seems to be about educating you on what to do and not do.  As for these articles, I was aware that the costs of obesity were high, but after reading the 2nd article, I was amazed at the staggering cost. 
I knew fat burners were all hype and BS.  Don't fall for the silly marketing.



Nutrition!!!  Part 1 of 10 great tips you should be following when it comes to nutrition.   These first 5 tips are great.

Obesity Costs-  The cost of  obesity is ridiculous.  Most goes towards obesity related diseases. 

Fat Burners???-  Yea, I don't really buy the hype of these fat burners either.  Eat smart, and take things that are actually good for you, not because they claim to be a fat burner.  Green tea being a good example. 

Are you making these mistakes??-  Its possible your fat loss goals are taking a hit because of some of these silly mistakes. 



Enjoy the articles, and give this weekends workout a try.

Rock this workout for 3 sets, resting a minute between each one.
Squats- 15 reps
Push-ups (add in an opposite arm/leg lift for added challenge)- 10 reps
Jumping Jacks- 20 reps
Reverse Lunge- 10 reps each side
Caterpillar/Inchworm- 10 reps
Mountain Climbers- 20 seconds
Front Switches- 10 reps each side
Jump Squats- 20 reps
Lateral Lunges- 10 each side
Push-ups (try decline or spider-man push-ups for added challenge) 10 reps
Ice Skaters - 20 seconds

3 rounds of this will sure to get your heart rate up, get you sweating, and jack up your metabolism. 
Who says you need a gym to get a killer workout. 

Good Luck!!!

Motivational Monday

It shouldn’t be easy to be amazing. Then everything would be. It’s the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth. When something’s difficult to come by, you’ll do that much more to make sure it’s even harder – or impossible – to lose.” ―Sarah Dessen

Fitness Friday

Nutrition on the road-  Sometimes its hard to find healthy things to eat while you are on the road and in and out of hotels.  Here are some tips to help.


Awesome Shirts-  I saw a story on these and I thought they were really cool.  I would love to get my hands on one of these just to see if it works, and also to be able to tell what areas of my body are working. 


Kettlebells are awesome-  You all know this.   Experts at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science put kettlebells to the test.
*find a trainer that has actually learned how to use kettlebells, not one that used YouTube.



With the awesomeness of kettlebells from the last article I give you a kettlebell workout for the weekend.
Everything is performed with a single arm.  Go through the circuit on one side first, then other side

KB Swing x 20
KB Squat Press x 10
KB Reverse Lunge x 10 (KB on same side as stepping leg)
KB Row x 10
KB Walking Lunge x 20 (try overheard carry for an added challenge)

Go through the circuit 3 times on each side for a total of 6 rounds

Enjoy!!