Feb 16, 2015

What Is Circuit Training?

Today I want to talk to how you you train. The whole “something is better than nothing” excuse to not change it up, were gonna throw that out the window right now! Its not only important that you train but how you train can have a great impact on your progress and time management. Most of us don’t have an hour and a half to two hours to spend. Most of us aren’t bodybuilders that go to the gym everyday, or do multiple sessions a day.

The problem with the way we exercise is it originated from bodybuilding, 3 sets of 10, working one body part at a time, body splits (working one region of the body on a certain day). We aren’t bodybuilders so why train like that? So let me show you the most effective way to workout………

Circuit Training!!! What is that? First, let me show you what its not.

45 minutes of cardio

3 sets of 20 squats w/ 2min rest in between each set

3 sets of 20 lunges w/ 2 min rest between each set

So far you’ve been exercising for about an hour and you’ve only done cardio and legs. You still have the rest of your body to work. You may say “I’ll do the rest on a different day”. What if life happens and for some reason you can’t get to the gym anymore that week or don’t have time at home to exercise? Although time should be made, even I have things that come up from time to time. I would feel so incomplete if I only worked my legs or arms. The fact is, you use your whole body every day! Why not train your whole body when you workout? But how can you do this without exercising ALL DAY?! Watch this……

5 min cardio warm up, then

1 set of 20 squats

1 set of 20 reverse crunches

1 set of 20 push ups

1 set of 20 pull ups

1 set of 10 burpees

No rest in between each exercise.

After you’ve completed 1 set of each exercise take a 2 minute rest, then repeat the the exercises starting with the squats. Repeat 3 times

For those of you that are more advanced, you can replace reps with time.

1 min squats (as many as you can do)

1 min reverse crunch (as many as you can do)

1 min push ups (as many as you can do)

1 min pull ups (as many as you can do)

1 min burpees (as many as you can do)

2 min rest

There you have it! Your whole body has been included in the regimen.

Question: Where do you think your heart rate will be after 1 round of this?

Answer: Through the roof!

So is it safe to assume that you’re getting a cardio benefit as well? Yes, and thats my point! You don’t need to be on a piece of cardio equipment to get cardio. You don’t need to be doing a predominately cardio exercises to get cardio. Cardio is nothing more than an elevated heart rate. You don’t have to have it in your head that “its cardio time”. The same can be said for the rest of the body. There is no leg day, arm day, chest day, back day………At least not if you’re a Fitness Freak! We do total body workouts but take the least amount of time doing them. Why? Because we have jobs, children, school, hobbies, lives!

Have you figured out what circuit training is yet? One exercise after the other with no rest in between.

Let this be your guide to creating your plan of attack. The ATTACK! I love you and want to see you succeed, but ultimately………..

~ its about what YOU see in the mirror~

 

 

 

Feb 9, 2015

The Most Important Love

ILoveMyself

Love is the theme this week. I wanted to talk about the most important love…..self love and how exercise can improve that.

Self-esteem is a critical component of any program aimed at self-improvement. A close relationship has been documented between low self-esteem and such problems as violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, school dropouts, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement.

Exercise has numerous health and fitness benefits. Regular sessions can lower your risk of disease and improve your quality of life. Daily activities become easier to perform because you are stronger and have more endurance. Your body weight is positively affected as well as your percentage of body fat. However, your mental health can also be impacted by exercise. People that exercise often have higher levels of self-esteem and body image than their less active counterparts, according to Athletic Insight, the Online Journal of Sport Psychology.

In my experience, it’s in the working hard and achievement of goals that increases self worth. Think about it, exercising and being disciplined about improving your life makes you focus on no one but you. Therefore, the value increases based on the emphasis you put on that improvement. This is the reason I focus on progress and continually challenging yourself. Once your routine becomes repetitive, your reaching new milestones decrease. Whatever you truely LOVE, you will protect. Whatever you truely CARE about,you will show it. Whatever you truely find important, you will MAKE TIME for…………….

LOVE YOURSELF BY CARING FOR AND MAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF

~its about what YOU see in the mirror~

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www.livestrong.com

www.more-selfesteem.com/selfesteemexercise

Jan 19, 2015

You Can’t Out Exercise A Bad Diet

ronald exercising

 

I read the best quote I’ve seen so far when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. YOU CAN’T OUT EXERCISE A BAD DIET! For instance, if you walk on the treadmill for 30 min, you’ll burn roughly 300 calories. If you eat a Burger King meal (Whopper with cheese, small fry, and med coke) over 30 min……and you know it doesn’t take that long), you would be consuming 1290 calories. You starting to get the picture? Paying attention to what you eat, AND how many calories you consume is important. I had a friend that had the philosophy that if he exercised he could eat what he wanted. A month later he gave up exercising because it wasn’t working…..funny how that works, and what he gave up isn’t it? Once you know how many calories are in the foods you eat, it will be a lot more simple to pick what you want and how much you want to consume. The other solution is to consume healthy foods and abstain from the ones that will spike your blood sugar and sodium levels. Eat natural growing, unprocessed foods. Stop eating science experiments with ingredients you can’t pronounce and can’t find on your own. Consequently you will consume less calorie, improve your health, and lose weight in the process if you’re overweight.

Let me lay this fact on you….. The human being is the only creature on this earth that will eat him/herself to poor health. Most other creatures eat for survival. We’ve turned eating into a source of entertainment. Everything we do now is centered around food. Weddings, funerals, open houses, birthdays, holidays, long time-no see “lets go get something to eat!!!” You ever said “hey its been ages since I’ve seen you! Let’s go for a walk and catch up!” Maybe we should do that…..ijs

Here’s a different point of view. Do you get exited to go to the gas station. “Man were gonna get Shell today! Maybe we’ll get some BP next week! Oh, Oh, how about some Exxon! No, we put gas in the tank and go. We should treat food the same. Stop playing with your it as if you own you own cooking channel. If food is supposed to be for energy, why can’t we just put gas in the tank and go?

I want you to make a conscious effort to change the way you view, prepare and eat food….NOW! I know you can do this. All you have to do is try it one meal at a time.

For all you need to know about nutrition, check out my new book “Fitness Freak Meal Plan” available on Amazon.com. A paperback version also a Kindle version is available for download. I f you don’t have a Kindle, download the Kindle app via your app market. If you want to know what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and why you should eat it, its all in here. All the work has been done for you, just follow along.

Fitness Freak Meal Plan available @ Amazon.com

Book Cover

~it’s about what YOU see in the mirror~

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Nov 24, 2014

Fitness Freak Holiday Eating Rules

 

thanksgiving-food

I was thinking about the pitfalls of sticking to a healthy lifestyle during the holidays. Food is the number one culprit to stalling your progress. This prompted me to come up with a list of rules for holiday eating…….

 

IT’S CALLED A HOLI”DAY” NOT A HOLI”MONTH”!

1. Know how much food you need for all that will be attending dinner.
Don’t prepare too much food.

2. If you aren’t cooking you shouldn’t be “tasting” any components of the dinner before hand……..That’s the cook’s job.

3. There is no snacking before, or after on ANYTHING you have for that meal. This means no sampling slices of pie days before the dinner. No sampling the rice & gravy while waiting for the turkey to be done.

4. Drink 8 oz of plain water before you eat your first bite.

5. You can eat whatever you want for that ONE holiday meal.

6. Your meal is finished when 30 minutes has passed and you haven’t anything else.

7. No left overs!!! Give them away or throw them away. I you feel that its a waste of money to throw away food then make sure you reread number 1 above.

8. When you visit family or friends and you’ve already eaten, JUST SAY NO. They will try every tactic possible to get you to eat again. They will tell you “You look good, you can eat more!”, “It won’t hurt, its only for one day!”, “Here, take some with you to go then.”

RESIST! RESIST! RESIST! You can do this.

9. Exercise ASAP!!!

I hope this helps you. I pray for strength in your life. I pray that food becomes less important, and fellowshipping with family and friends become more important.

#1975fitnessfreak

 

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Aug 25, 2014

Childhood Obesity

childhood obesity

Let’s talk about childhood obesity. From the 1960’s to now the rate of obese children has tripled! A recent study of adolescents to individuals in their 30s found that 36.1% of the sample was obese in 2008, with appox. 90% of obese adolescent remaining obese into adulthood. Parents we set the example for our children. We give them access to whatever they consume. In the beginning we tell what is good and what is not. I’ve seen alot of parents project their preferences onto their children. Have you noticed some children don’t like the same things their parents don’t? We give them treats and say “mmmm that’s good isn’t it?” They learn from us. So that would explain why some children don’t like veggies or drink plain water. Do you agree? Hey here’s a question! Why do you go to the gym and try to eat healthy but stop by McDonald’s for your kids on the way? Just because they’re young and energetic, doesn’t mean damage is not being done. Why do they need to clean their plate? They won’t let themselves starve to death. Also their activity level had decreased due to television, video games, and no after school activities. 40 years ago 42% of US children used to walk or bike to school. By 2001 that rate dropped to just 16.2%. So WE need to encourage more activity. A study was done in 2011 that indicated that 32.4% of our children watched tv 3hrs or more a day on a school night, and 31.1% were obese, 15.2% were categorized as overweight.

Homework: Evaluate your children’s health and habits. Is there anything you can change, regardless of their fitness level now? Are there any activities they can participate in? Can the tv be cut off more? Can they get more activity? Can their diet be changed? Do you feel that your preferences have been projected onto them?

~its about what YOU see in the mirror~

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Aug 8, 2014

Fat Burning Tea

Its time to stop going t these restaurants and ordering cups of liquid sugar. One thing I know about nutrition is you can always make  food and drink work to your benefit. Iv’e been drinking a tea I put together a while ago after researching fat burning foods. I’m pretty sure I didn’t invent it but I had no outside direction when developing it.  I will give you the ingredients and what each one does for your body………This may sound somewhat familiar because I did a post a little while ago titled “Fat Burning Foods”.

 

fat burning tea

Cayenne Pepper – 1/2tsp: consumption dilates the blood vessels and speeds the metabolism due to the high amounts of capsaicin. This increases circulation and blood flow to all major organs which facilitates oxygen and nutrient delivery. Some research suggests that cayenne pepper may support a healthy energy balance while suppressing appetite. It has also been shown to aid in the oxidation of adipose tissue, regulate high blood pressure, promote healthy liver function and tissue production, help regulate the digestive system, promote healthy mucus production in the membranes that line internal organs. Cayenne pepper is also claimed to be an aphrodisiac because it contains capsaicin.

Cinnamon – 1 tsp: Published in 2003 in the journal Diabetes Care, a study concluded that in people with Type 2 diabetes, consuming daily low levels of cinnamon that is between 1 to 6 grams (or approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons) reduced blood sugar levels. How cinnamon effects this result is still to be determined but the study also showed that the results lasted in the individuals even as long as twenty days after ceasing to use cinnamon. In 2009, a Scandinavian study showed that in healthy individuals 3 grams of cinnamon per day lowered blood sugar levels after eating a meal. Higher insulin levels lead to less use of excess blood sugar (and sugar is stored in the body as fat), so a reduction in insulin after a meal is significant. If cinnamon can help control the level of blood sugar and, by offshoot, fat levels, then that is corroboration of what some have said regarding its weight loss potential.

Organic Whole Leaf Green Tea – One bag: I rip the bag open and pour the leaves into my mug. After doing research, it was recommended that you let your tea leaves expand to release the natural oils. The bag restricts the leaves from expanding.

According to new research, green tea extract epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may slow weight gain in two important ways. First, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and second, it enhances the ability to burn fat.

The study, published in the journal Obesity, reports that mice given EGCG in addition to a high-fat diet gained weight 45% more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG. In addition to lower weight gain, the researchers reported that mice fed green tea showed around a 30% increase in faecal lipids – suggesting that the EGCG limits fat absorption.

Caffeine in green tea: A study in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” noted that caffeine has a thermogenic effect. In the investigation of the effects of caffeine in healthy people who regularly consumed moderate amounts of caffeine, 100 mg, 200 mg and 400 mg of caffeine all stimulated thermogenesis. The more caffeine consumed, the higher the thermogenic effect. Another study suggests thermogenesis may be more pronounced in certain people. In a small study of caffeine-induced thermogenesis in 10 lean and 10 obese women, the thermogenic effect was greater in lean women and lasted longer, compared to obese women consuming caffeine.

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 cap full: 

  • Rich in potassium, a mineral that is often times lacking in adult diets. This mineral is key for growth, building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity etc. It also helps to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses.
  • Rich in acetic acid. This acid is said to slow the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals.
  • Rich in ash which gives ACV its alkaline property. This aids your body in maintaining proper pH levels for a healthy alkaline state. (It is particularly important if you drink a lot of coffee or wine.)
  • It can help regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.
  • Rich in malic acid which gives ACV its anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
  • May help improve bowel irregularity and helps to remove toxins from the body at a faster rate.
  • It can help clear up skin conditions and blemishes.
  • ACV helps with weight loss by breaking down fats so that your body can use them rather than store them.
  • A few lab studies have found that ACV may be able to kill cancer cells or slow their growth.

Place all ingredients in coffee mug, then add boiling hot water. I drink this every morning some time after I wake up, but before my 9 a.m. breakfast. I give it a little flavor by adding lime. I also want to experiment with fresh mint leaves but as long as it doesn’t add too much to the overall cost.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND ADDING ANY TYPE OF SWEETENER TO THIS

I’ll say it again. Lets stop going to restaurants and ordering liquid sugar. Make your food work for you. Each thing you put in your body should have a purpose………just to make your belly full doesn’t count by the way.

~its about what YOU see in the mirror~

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