FITNESS WELLNESS BALANCE: It's Just a Little FUNK

Friday, September 5

It's Just a Little FUNK

Seasonal Affective Disorder, Cabin Fever, Hibernation Season... Call it what you like. I say it's just a little funk. You feel funky, your motivation's all funky, your thought process is funky, you're just stuck in a Fitness Funk. Don't let the funkiness de-funkify your funky self! All you need to do when this happens is STOP, look back at your old processes, you know, the ones that worked. What were you doing? What have you strayed from? Are you getting your cardio in? How many days per week are you exercising and are you actually reaching your highest potential when in the gym? Are you pushing yourself? Are you eating things that weigh down your mind and body? Have you lost sight of WHY you want to be healthy?

Write these things down. Then, write down your program and plan your "Back on Track Attack"! (I know... a little too cheerleaderesque).
Here are some things to look at:

Nutrition
Daily Activity
Anaerobic Exercises (weights)
Aerobic Exercises (cardio)
Intensity
Toxins in your life
Lengthening (stretching and elongating the body)
Water Intake
Surroundings (stress, clutter, work, relationships)
Alcohol & Drugs (too much wine? Too many unnecessary medications?)
Workout Diversity (are you switching up your routines enough to keep your body from plateau?)
Periodization (Is it time to amp up your level, add more time, add more circuits, etc. to your fitness regime?)
Are you working out at your optimal energy time?

Now, stop beating yourself up. We All get in Funks sometimes, it's normal to get off track when "life" gets in the way. Just remember; it's not living when you're not enjoying it. Focus on Wellness & Goodness and you'll watch everything fall into place

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Seasonal Scents to Curb Cravings

During the Holidays there are temptations everywhere. Here are some Seasonal Scents that will not only freshen up your surroundings but are also proven to aid in controlling hunger:

Cinnamon- Sniff and Taste this Holiday spice to help curb your appetite and control blood sugar. Cinnamon also has polyphenols and antioxidants, so it will help keep you healthy!

Bergamot- This fruit when dried or turned into a tincture stimulates your endocrine system (hormone system) and brings on a sense of relaxation, which aids in weight loss.

Peppermint- In a study from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia- people who regularly sniffed Peppermint ate 23% fewer calories per week. Bonus, Peppermint also can be used to relieve headaches because of its calming & numbing effects.

Vanilla- Sniffing this sweet scent has shown to trick your senses into thinking that you've indulged, then sending neuropeptides (receptors that go from gut to brain) saying that you've given in to your cravings, therefore leaving you feeling content.

Lavender- Just like Bergamot, this herb that's in the mint family aids in relaxation by stimulating feel-good hormones in the brain.

Kick into Cardio!

If you're traveling this season and have no gym, try this!
Standing with "dukes up"- arms up like you're boxing- take right leg (bending left knee) and kick forward, then jump in middle position and with right foot kick backward.
Jump in middle position and repeat with right foot twenty kicks forward and back. Switch sides and do same
Using a chair or bench jump up onto surface with both feet at same time and lightly jump back down, landing on bent knees. Do twenty jumps
Spread legs wide, bring bottom down into a low squat (use knees, not back) and jump high into air, landing back in squat positon. Do twenty
Jump rope for five to ten minutes (ongoing)
REPEAT ALL TWO MORE TIMES (making it three circuits)

Simple Circuit

Front Step Ups
*using a bench, chair, or step. With right leg (weights 5lb.-8lb. above shoulders optional) Step Ups, and use hamstrings to slowly step back down. Do 30 with right leg, then switch to 30 with left leg (optional- if using weights you can preform Shoulder Press each time you step up)
Side Jumping Squats
* In between the step ups (60) go to the right side of your step/chair/bench and place left foot on it with right foot remaining on the ground (legs spread wide) and squat low and jump up, landing with left foot back on step/chair/bench and right foot widely seperated on floor (Jumping Squats with one leg elevated). Do 15 reps on right side, then 15 reps on left side
** Do each exercise 3x**
Chest Press
*Take 8 to 12lbs. weights (whatever level you're at) and lye on floor. Chest Press with knees up in air and feet on floor, arms (with weight in each hand) out to side of chest. Slowly exhale with arms coming up over chest and touch weights (half circle). Slowly inhale weights back down to side. 3 sets of 15-20 reps (depending on weight)
Skull Crushers
*Lying on floor with one 12-20lbs. weight and elbows up in air as close (to temples) as possible, use only your elbow joint and raise weight over head into Skull Crusher (triceps) and slowly inhale weight back down behind head. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Ab & Chest Blowout

Lying on your back on a bench with your larger weight option in each hand directly outside of your chest and your legs off of the ground, straight, and toes pointed you're going to perform a Chest Press and Leg Holds. Slowly exhale pushing the weights half-circle up and together and slowly inhale bringing them back into original position outside chest. Always keep weights over chest and not face and ALWAYS keep legs in air, utilizing lower abdominals and keeping your neck relaxed. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps slowly

Wednesday, September 3rd 2008

All Over Pushup!
Place yourself in pushup position with hands right outside of shoulders, abdominals tight, and back straight. Place right leg up in air pointing toes and pushing leg high up feeling it in glutes (bottom), back, and hamstrings (back of legs). Perform 5-10 pushups with right leg up high in air. Do same with left 5-10x. Then, with both legs on floor perform 5-10 standard pushpups. Do 3sets of -10 per movement
Pilates Air Bicycles (amazing for light cardio and thyroids)
Lying with back on floor, relax head and neck and with hands under lower back thrust your bottom in air with legs straight up using core and arms to hold your lower body up in air. Slowly perform long circular motions with each leg 30x per leg. One vertibre at a time slowly lower back into initial position.

Namaste!

Friday, July 18th 2008

Treadmill Warm Up
beginner: 4.3 speed 2%incline jogging or speed walking for 15 min
Intermediate: 5.5 speed 4%incline jogging for 15-20 minutes
Intense: 5.5 speed 5%incline for 20 minutes
* after warm up grab 5-8lb. weights in each hand and do walking lunges fifteen steps rotating legs each time and turn around & do 15 back (be sure knee doesn't go past toes and the bottom knee goes close to ground without hitting)- 3 sets of 30all together
* in between each set of 30lunges take one larger weight (15-25lbs.) and spreading feet just past hips with weight in middle of legs and both hands holding onto it slowly lower your bottom down as close to ground as possible, slowly lift back up with legs and squeeze bottom. 3 sets of 15-25
*Step Ups- with two 5-8lb. weights and a step perform fifteen step ups with right leg (come up quick and go down slowly as to incorporate quadriceps & hamstrings), and fifteen step ups with left leg keeping weights above shoulders at all times (don't let them rest on shoulders:)
* Go back to your treadmill warm up routine however instead of 15-20 minutes do 30 minutes
* When 30 minutes is over, stop treadmill & holding onto both handles on treadmill sides slowly lift knees up into chest using lower abdominals. 3 sets of 10-15

Sunday, July 13th 2008 Exercises of the Day

Beginner Cardio:
* Treadmill; walk at 2.5speed & 3%incline for five minutes, then switch to 3.7speed & 5%incline for two minutes. Do this, switching each five and 2min. routines 4 times, totalling 28minutes and cool down the last two minutes at 1%incline and 3.0speed (don't hold on at any time).
* Using a chair, holding 5lb weights in each hand and arms out foreword, slowly lower bottom to chair seat and lift using legs back up to straight position squeezing bottom for five seconds. Do three sets of 35
* Sitting on chair with hands on holding onto sides, slowly extend legs out and down close to floor and slowely bend knees into chest using lower abdominals. Do two sets of 25
Intermediate Cardio:
* Elliptical; 15minutes at program weight loss, levels 7 and 10
* Bike; 10minutes at manual, level 6 one min & level 9 one min
* Elliptical; 10minutes at program weight loss, levels 7 and 10
* Bike; 10minutes at manual, level 6 one min & level 9 one min
* Treadmill; 5minutes 3%incline & 4.5speed
Intense Cardio:
* Treadmill; 6.0speed & 3%incline for five minutes, 7.0speed at 1%incline for five minutes. Do these each twice
* Rope; Skipping form for 300 jumps, leg kickout jumps for 100, double jumps for 100. Do these all twice over
* Treadmill; 6.0speed & 3%incline for five minutes, 7.0speed & 1%incline for five minutes
* Jump Rope; your favorite type of jumping for 100 jumps

Thursday, July 3rd Exercise of the Day

Treadmill:
* Walk on treadmill with 5lb. weights at 7%incline and 3.0 to 3.5speed for fifteen minutes

Abs:
* Using resistance ball (55-65cm), sit with lower back and upper glutes (bottom) on ball, place hands behind your head and perform a sit up like motion, however instead of moving your torso up and straight, do the sit up with head up and chest coming up and out (so not directly up and forward). Do 50 of these in a slow motion inhaling when going down and exhaling into the situp
* lower leg lifts: lying flat on back (put a towel under lower back if back problems) with arms to side slowly lift legs up in air and slowly back down, going as close to the floor as possible without touching (if back problem, go down at comfortable level and repeat). Do 15 of these
REPEAT treadmill, resistance situps and leg lifts two more times

Todays Routine

Side Squat up 4-8 flights of stairs skipping a step each time (1st set left side, 2nd set right side)- 4x
*Using Stairs, pushups w hands on lowest step (15pushups), then 2nd set on second step (15x), and 3rd set on third step (15x)-- this will allow you to target different parts of the muscle
*Tricep dips w hands on 4th step and legs together and out in front of you (25x)
*Crunches with bottom off the ground (making a plank with your abdominal line) (3x50middle, 50right, 50left)
Treadmill Sprints (3minutes of 7.0-8.0speed)
Finish with walking uphill at 12%incline & 4.5speed on treadmill for ten minutes

Cardio Today: Stair Master!

Staircase Consisting 15-45 steps
(with 8lb weights to 12lb weights)
* Begin at bottom of stair case (try 15 to 45stairs)
* With weights over shoulders and abs tight, SPRINT up and down the stairs (5x up and down)
* Put weights down and do 200 jumping jacks (wide legged)
* With weights over shoulders again, side squat up the stairs, skipping a step each time
* Sprint down staircase
* Switch sides and side squat (skipping a step each time) up stairs with opposite side
* Repeat side squats four times per side
* Put weights down and do 200 jumping jacks
** REPEAT THIS EXERCISE TWICE IN A ROW**

Exercise for the Day

Burn n build (Intense)
* Treadmill 15minutes: 8%incline, 5.0speed (jogging)
* Pushups holds (push up, hold for 10seconds, repeat) 15
* Situps, 25
* Leg ups (lying on back, legs strght, lift legs in air and lower
as close to floor without touching floor) 20
**Repeat three times**
OM in Home (workout without gym)
* Jumping Jacks (100x)
* Extend n Crunch (lying on back, extend legs out with arms
inback of head, bringing knees into chest and upper body
into crunch) 25x
* Running in place (kicking knees up high into chest)
5minutes-no breaks
* Bicycle (lying on back, bring left knee and right elbow into
crunch, then right knee and left elbow ") for obliques, 50x
* Dips (find firm surface, with back to surface & palms on
edge of surface, with legs out lower body and push body up
with arms) for triceps, 16x
**Repeat three times**

Yesterdays Routine (in case you missed it)

Cardio:
Beginner- keep it going
* fifteen minutes on treadmill jogging at 3%incline and
5.0speed
* fifteen minutes on elliptical using the Interval program at
levels 4 and 6
* fifteen minutes on bike at Manual, level 7
Intermediate- Treadmill Work
* ten minutes: walk at 3.5speed for one minute, run at 7.5-
8.5speed for one minute
* fifteen minutes: 8%incline and 5.0speed (jogging upward)
* fifteen minutes: 3%incline and 6.0speed (running)
* five minute cool down: no incline, 4.5speed
Intense- Workin' It!
(all to be done back to back,nonstop)
* Treadmill: ten minutes: 1%incline, running at 7.0-7.5
speed
* Holding onto side handles on treadmill, do 10 body dips &
15 lower abdominal leg raises
* Jump Rope: 100standard quick jumps, 100 skipping leg
out jumps, 100 double jumps, 100 skipping knee up jumps
-- do these 400 jumps twice in this set
**PERFORM THE ABOVE THREE SETS BACK TO BACK
THREE TIMES**

Mix it up!! It's good to do 30-45minutes of cardio at least four times per week, dodging plateaus. Never do the same cardio routine back to back days.

Next cardio day, try and mix up routines within a mixed routine; meaning do forty minutes of cardio and each ten minutes switch equipment.This will keep your body working hard and guessing, avoiding getting comfortable within one routine and becomming immune:).

Remember: Cardio is hugely important to a well and healthy lifestyle. Cardio = Cardiac (heart). When you perform acts of cardio you're strengthening your heart, blood circuit, immune system AND you're creating a caloric burn which melts fat layers so that you can see the tone and definition you're so intensly working at. Do weights as much as possible, however unless you burn the fat layer atop the muscle (muscle helps you burn fat throughout the day as well) you will not see muscular progress being made, creating the "bulk up" look.

Don't Count Calories, Count Nutritional Substance!

Going to the grocery store, it's important to try and stay on the outside of the isles, as opposed to venturing into the isles in the middle. Outside isles are normally more natural, organic and fresh, inside is more preserved and refined. Instead of going for the 100 calorie or low fat/ reduced fat options go for the more natural ones. This gives your body natural elements of the food for different organs, energy, muscles, leaving little calories to be stored as fat. Your body does not recognize man made products, so it is quicker to store them (as the preserved, sugar filled foods have little to no nutrtional value for the body).

SHOP SMART, SHOP SLOW, SHOP NATURAL