Tuesday, December 9, 2008

10 Minute In-Home Christmas Workout!


Christmas time is officially here! With all of the “have to do’s” this month, many people don’t think they have time for an effective fat-burning workout. Well, I am here to tell you that that is not true! In fact, you can get in a great workout in the comfort of your own home!

You may be wondering how you can maintain and even improve your body composition at home with no equipment. Well, to be honest; the possibilities are endless! I’m going to share with you a few workouts you can incorporate into your busy schedule that will allow you to burn fat and sculpt your body in as little as 10 minutes!

For this workout, you will do each exercise for 1 minute each. Perform the first exercise for 1 minute, and then move immediately to the next. Continue doing this until you complete every exercise, and then rest 2-3 minutes and repeat 1-2 more times.

1) Squats
2) Pushups
3) Squat Thrusts*
4) Jumping Jacks
5) Staggered Pushups**

*Squat down, put your hands beside your feet, kick your legs back so you are in a pushup position, and then kick your feet back up to your hands, and stand up.

**Place one hand a few inches in front of the other; do pushups in this position for 30 seconds, and then switch hands for the other 30 seconds.


Here is another in-home workout to help you lose fat and sculpt your body!

Perform the designated number of reps for each exercise, and proceed through the circuit with no rest. After every exercise is completed, rest about 2 minutes and repeat 1-2 times.

1) Squats—20
2) Jumping Jacks—50
3) Pushups—15
4) Mountain Climbers*—10 reps each leg
5) Squat Thrust—12 reps

*Get in the top part of a pushup (arms straight) and bring one knee up to your chest; as you return that leg to the start position, bring the alternate knee up to your chest.

There you have it! Two awesome workouts you can do at home in less than 20 minutes! Now you have absolutely no excuse for not getting in a terrific workout!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

No BS Nutrition Info that WORKS!


Whenever a person plans to go on a diet they envision weight scales, measuring cups, flavorless food, hunger pangs, and even hippies chasing them down with granola. Well, maybe not that last one, but you get the point.

No one ever says, “Yay! I’m going on a diet!” Have you even noticed that the first 3 letters in diet are die? It’s no coincidence. No one wants to go on a diet because they perceive future suffering and misery. Many people think they will have to give up their favorite foods. Many people think they can never eat treats again. Well, in my opinion, many nutritionists and fitness professionals are making nutrition way too complicated.

Is it practical for someone who eats the majority of their meals away from home in the form of fast food, drinks several cokes in a day, and only eats vegetables in the form of fried potatoes to drastically change their eating habits in one day? Would it be realistic (and would it be long lasting) for this person to wake up the next morning and eat all natural foods and drink nothing but water? No! The person may last a couple of days, if even that, before they returned to their old eating habits!

The key is to make small gradual changes that produce long lasting results. Having changes that produce short-term changes only is not enough!

Here are my guidelines for nutrition. No filler, no fluff, and it may not be politically correct, but it’s damn effective.

1) Consume whole, natural foods. These are items that don’t come in a bag or a box, and are usually single ingredient items. Examples: fruits, vegetables, lean meats, raw or dry roasted nuts, seeds, legumes, etc.

2) Do not purchase anything that has these words on the ingredient list: high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated, or colors and numbers (e.g. Yellow5, Blue3, etc).

3) If you consume any grains at all, limit them to post-workout only. Grains are items such as breads, cereals, rice, corn, crackers, tortillas, pasta, etc. By consuming them after a workout, your body uses the carbohydrates in the foods to build muscle and restore muscle glycogen stores. Limiting them to these times (if you eat them at all) helps to prevent potential fat gain.

4) Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Yes, this is nothing new. Fruits and veggies are loaded with good-for-you nutrients such as phytochemicals, antioxidants, and a host of other things that are necessary for good health. Begin slowly by adding 1 fruit and 1 vegetable to a meal a day. The next week, try to include a fruit and vegetable in 2 meals a day.

5) Consume caloric-free beverages. Drink more water. Period. Caloric-free beverages include water and unsweetened teas and coffees. Here’s a bonus tip: drink a full glass of water immediately before each meal; this will help fill you up quicker if you are trying to lose some extra fat.

6) Be cautious where you get your information. Food corporations who promote their foods as being “figure friendly” and even “healthy” do not have your best intentions in mind. All they want is for you to buy more of their products; not to help you acquire better health, but to get more of your money. General Mills, Kellogg’s, the dairy industry and other food companies don’t give a rip about your health, and they are not qualified to tell you how and what to eat. Keep that in mind the next time you see an advertisement.

7) Make a time to enjoy foods that don’t necessary fit these guidelines. If you plan on restricting your favorite foods for a long period of time, you are just setting yourself up for disaster. The more you tell yourself you can’t have something, the more you want it and the more likely you are to binge on it. Have a meal once or twice a week where you don’t make it conform to the above guidelines. Enjoy these meals guilt-free, and then get back on track.

8) Revolve your eating regime around your life not vice versa. This is another area in which I greatly differ from many experts. Five to 6 small meals a day may be the ideal, but for some people it just isn’t practical. I strongly believe that if you adhere to the principles listed above, the rest is just details for someone looking to lose fat and acquire better health. There are too many important things in life, so don’t spend excess time worrying about your eating habits and exercise regimen.

So now you have some general guidelines, but where do you go from here? As I mentioned earlier, take things slowly. Try to incorporate 1 or 2 principles each day, and go from there. Don’t try to drastically change everything overnight; it’s just not effective.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What You Should Know!

It is officially Christmas season. People everywhere are putting up lights, trees, shopping, and eating lots of food.

During this time, many people think they simply don't have enough time to workout. Because of this, the same people tell themselves, "I'll just enjoy all of this food and stuff now. I don't really have the time to workout and eat better. I'll just start my workout program and start eating better on January 1st."

Let me tell you something: do not wait until January 1, 2009 to start getting healthy! You need to start today. Think about it: if you start eating whole, natural foods and cut out the processed junk, and you get in 20 minute workouts 3-5 times a week, you could lose several pounds of fat by December 31, 2008!

What are you waiting for? The more you put off something you want and know you should do, the more likely you are to not do it!

It's a busy season, I know. But there are no excuses for not eating better and getting in quick, total body workouts. Remember, you can do a great body scuplting workout in the comfort of your own home.