New Year, New Goals, New YOU

Welcome to 2014!

Heading into the new year I'm sure all of you are set some fantastic new year resolutions. Regardless this is a reminder that if you want to kickin beach bod by May you need to start now. Here are a few goals to start you off in the right direction.

1. Eat NO processed sugars for at least one month.
              Read ingredients and try your best to stick to this. Doing so will not only make you look and feel better, but while being a stickler about ingredients you'll learn a lot about what is in the food you eat.

2. Workout 4 times a week.
              Four or more. No matter what make sure you get at least four workouts in a week. If your feeling good one day and already crushed the gym that morning, there is nothing wrong with working out again that night. If you lifted in the A.M. do some cardio at night.

3. Average 8hrs of sleep a night.
             No more, no less. Getting the right amount of sleep with keep your energy levels up, making other goals easier.

4. Cardio twice a week.
             Even if your a lifter, it is important for your overall health to keep your lungs in shape. Not to mention, it will help you lean and cut up for the desired fitness model like body.

5. Healthy Food Monday through Friday
            Sometimes trying to dedicate to a 100% clean diet is just too much. An easier version of your classic diet, eat only healthy foods Monday through Friday. On the weekends you can still satisfy those old, by dying, urges. If you can cut out sugars and processed foods Monday through Friday you'll find yourself not ever enjoying those cheat meals on the weekend.

There you go! Just a few simple goals to get your 2014 off to the right start.

Quirky Fitness Invention

Dear readers,

Please visit my Quirky page and vote on my Work Chair Workouts adapter invention. Help me bring fitness to the office.

Follow the link below and give me a vote.

http://www.quirky.com/invent/824909/action/vote/query/sort=ending_soon&categories=all

Thanks!

Workout and Eat Healthy, Be Kind

Workout, Eat Healthy, Be Kind....

Not that everyone shouldn't always be kind, but I mean this in the sense of fitness and nutrition. Why is the weight room a place of awkward staring and obvious judgments, when it could be a place of community and encouragement?

Everyone starts somewhere. Just because you've made it to most peoples goals and dreams doesn't give you the right to judge and glare at people getting started. You could be the difference maker in someone else's transformation with a simple kind comment for the day. Something like "hey, let me know if you'll need a spot," "no? alright, keep up the good work," could be the difference between someone giving up or coming back with confidence for the next month.

Little things can make the difference. Keep an open mind for opportunities to make the difference in someone's day.

Circuit Workout: Time for Reps

Did a killer circuit workout with my girlfriend at the gym today. This is also where I came to the realization that my lungs are completely out of shape. Winter sucks! It's so hard to work everything you want, mainly cardio. I might be opting for that winter bulk training.

Anyways, about that workout.

I'm not going to juice up this description with reasoning's and explanations. If you want to know why we did what we did, go back and read some older posts to figure out where I'm coming from. Whoa sassy! Who am I?

Anyways, getting to the workout. Here it is. But before I start, (Get to the point already! You must be saying. It's because I care) the second exercise I'm just going to call "core twists" because I don't know what it's actually called. Please comment if you know. Start in an up pushup position then rotate to the side and reach for the ceiling, hold for 2sec back to start other side up for 2sec, and so on.

As always, start with a good dynamic warm-up.

The workout:

1. Pushups for 45sec - 15sec rest
2. Core Twists for 45sec - 15sec rest
3. Pulse Squats for 45sec - 15sec rest
4. One Leg side-to-side hops for 45sec -15sec rest

5. Sprint 1/4 mile - 30sec rest.

Repeat 5 times.

If you're a real badass switch exercise #4 to jump tucks. ...We started that way but couldn't make it.

Eat Vegetables Don't Be a Vegetable

Living an active lifestyle isn't just about going to the gym everyday. Being adventurous and spending your off time in the right way can be the difference maker in seeing the weight change you're looking for.

According to Self.com the average person will burn around 250 calories in 60min of general household cleaning.

See where you stand: http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/cleaning_house

The changes don't stop there. Think about different things you could be doing in your down time to not only burn calories, but also to be productive. If indoor cleaning was 250 calories per hour, imagine how many calories you'll burn when you're outside working on your yard.

Obviously all cleaning, yard work, and labor work are, without a doubt, going to help you cut the pounds. But, don't confuse these things as a replacement for proper weight training and cardio. At the end of the day, eating clean and working out on a regular basis is still the best way to look the way you want.

Winter Wonder Land

Winter is just about here people. This is the season when we: eat like crap for the holidays; skip the gym because it gets dark at 5pm; And avoid outside exercises because it's cold and uncomfortable. If you've ever felt like you lose a little weight but it always comes back, this season might be your downfall. Go back and read over some of my older posts and start whipping out every trick in the book you need to stay motivated.

By far the most popular post I have for consistent motivation is http://betterlifefitnessandfood.blogspot.com/2013/08/great-trick-for-consistent-workout.html written back in August. You might find that this specific trick becomes very interesting around this time of the year.

That being said, it is important to take a break from your primary sport or exercise once in a blue moon for a week or two. Take advantage of the bad weather and daylight savings time to try new things and give your body a little bit of a rest. I do strongly encourage everyone to try new things! Perhaps swimming will become your winter exercise. If you're primarily a cardio person, winter could be the perfect time to cut out the cardio and build up the muscle (or vice versa).

No matter what you do, just keep on doing. We aren't bears, we don't need to fatten up for the winter. So, stop telling yourself that it's ok and you'll burn it off come spring. Start thinking like that and you'll just be weak and flabby come shorts season.