Exercises you SHOULD be doing

If there is a particular exercise you are avoiding, it is probably exactly what your body needs.

For some reason, it is human nature to avoid what is challenging and uncomfortable.

I say, "In your face, instinct!"

Embrace what you don't want to do and watch your body transform!!

Here are some case in point, commonly avoided exercises:

1. Pull Ups

2. Jump Lunges

3. Hanging Straight Leg Raises

4. Dips

5. Sprints

6. Ardha Chandrasana (half moon posture)

7. Wide Angle Forward Fold (Upavishta Konasana)

In fact ... why not create a workout centered around these "bane of your exercise existence" movements?

Try circuiting the above moves. Determine your number of reps and length of sprint. Do each exercise one after the other without rest. Start with one set once a week. The following week, do two sets. Add an additional set the third week and continue performing this workout once per week.


(image from: worldofstock.com)

Almased

An ad for Almased caught my eye while paging through Cosmo magazine.

Almased is a meal replacement shake that is made from yogurt, honey and soy.

Simply packaged and endorsed by a pharmacist (because they are known for their nutritional prowess and weight loss expertise?) The two page spread details a "Bikini Emergency" diet plan that consists of three days consumption of just three Almased shakes and as much vegetable broth as you can consume.

With only 180 calories (1g of fiber, but 25g protein) per shake, The Almased plan comes in at a grand total of 540 calories per day.

Last time I checked - that qualifies for a starvation diet.

The diet then graduates you to two shakes and one meal per day and eventually two meals and one shake per day. Sound familiar? This is the second coming of Slim Fast packaged as "health" food.

If you read this blog daily, you know this is a positive place. I rarely write about products I don't like, but I have to speak out when I feel unhealthy and dangerous eating habits are being directly targeted at women.

I am constantly shocked at people's misconceptions around food and nutrition in general. Even the most educated folks sometimes don't really think about what they are putting in their mouths. A product like Almased further distorts the issue of dieting and health food by promoting a product to sustain a starvation diet.

Please consider what you consume carefully. If you want to change your body, eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods in sensible portions. Keep track of your calories in Fitday, undertake an exercise program and watch your body and life transform - the healthy way!

(image from: almased.com)

The Total Package

The final element of looking and feeling damn good is how you present the total package.

This is the fun stuff!

Make up, hair, clothing, your skin ... these are all components that you manipulate to express yourself.

The choices you make communicate how you want to be percieved by others and how you feel about yourself.

Whether you choose to be conservative and subdued or wild and over the top, your total package is up to you. Work with what you've been given and maximize your potenitial.

Learn what cut of clothing works for your body type, get a hairstyle that flatters your bone structure and choose make up that makes your features pop! Keep you skin clear and glowing and you are on your way to The Total Package!

Try products mentioned on this blog, read and research proper nutrition and engage in physical activity each day.

No matter how you choose to color in (or outside) the lines of your image, remember that ultimately the inner work you have done through your attitude, exercise program and nutrition will shine through.

Exercise

A healthy, fit body translates directly into looking and feeling damn good!

Breath and movement are essential to the body's proper function, maintenence of health and essential to sculpt strong, flexible muscle.

Be sure to include well rounded, varied modalities of exercise to keep your body from adjusting to the exercise routine you practice.

Include elements for strength, cardio vascular fitness and flexibility.

If you only have a short period of time to work out each day, say twenty minutes ... be sure to rotate your choice of exercise each day. If you have more extended period of time, up to one hour, be sure to mix modalties within each workout.

It is important that your body be constantly surprised with the challenges you present it with. This keeps your brain interested and your muscles constantly adapting to new activities.

Here is a great 30 minute mixed modality workout to try:

5 min warm up: Standing knees into chest, jog in place, high knees, butt kicks, side lunges and squats

10 min strength: Do the following exercises back to back as a circuit for 10 minutes
Body weight squats 20 reps
Push Ups (regular) 15 reps
Bridgeing - (hip lifts - alternate single legs for more difficulty)
Push Ups (close grip)- 10 reps
Side plank lifts - 15 each side (lifting and lowering hip to ground)
5 min cardio: Jump rope, jog in place with high knees and butt kicks, or jacks for 5 minutes no rest

5 min yoga: Practice Ashtanga Sun Salute A for five minutes without stopping
Click here to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P5PSqmnu88

5 min stretch: Stretch your whole body from head to toe. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds

Travel Workout

As I confessed exercise addict - in a completely good and healthy way, traveling this week has certainly provided many challenges in maintaining my regular regime.

Here are some tips to keep your workout going while you are on the road.

1. Change your mindset. No - you are not going to do what you normally do. You may not have your yoga mat, the same gym equipment or even space to move, but this is no excuse to NOT workout. Adjust your mindset to be ok with whatever you get in - whether it be a structured workout, walking around sightseeing or participating in regional sports activities.

2. Bring along some goodies just in case. I always travel with toe sox (for yoga in the hotel room instead of a mat,) a jump rope and a medium resistance band. That and my body weight is all I need to rock it!

3. Get creative. So, the hotel gym has no dumbbells, an old treadmill and a ballet barre. PERFECT! Do a circuit of push ups, tread sprints, barre work and tread hills. Use the bar to do standing stretches and seated ab work you normally wouldn't do.

4. Bring your ipod. Then - even if you are stuck in a tiny hotel room ... you can dance your butt off, do plyometrics and body weight exercises. What a great excuse to spend some extra time stretching!

5. Check out local fitness trends. Go to a yoga class, a spin studio or a gym wherever you are. A new environment always inspires me and reinvigorates my program.

(picture from: wentyleagues.com.au)

Exercise and Weight Loss

The fitness profession has been on the defensive with all of the recent press on exercise NOT having an affect on weight loss. I'm here to give you some tough, straight talk about the matter. If you are need of some motivation to get your diet in gear, read on ...

Time Magazine recently printed a cover story on the "exercise myth"(http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html) and now the New York Times has blogged about the subject as well:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/

Right after the Time Magazine article, The American Council on Exercise (the entity I am certified by) responded almost immediately in their publication ACE Fitness Matters. ACE had the gloves up - hoping the bad press wouldn't further impact the already suffering fitness industry.

As a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, I say THANK YOU for these stories finally being brought to the forefront of our fitness consciousness.
It's about time the delusion of "If I exercise, I can eat whatever I want" was permanantly destroyed.

It is the most challenging and often frustrating message to get across to clients - that working out DOES NOT give you free reign to eat whatever you want.

Losing weight is about math. Period. Bottom line. You must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. You must create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day from your basal metabolic rate to lose one pound of body fat a week - end of story.

General health and fitness is about working out. Exercise is great for the cardiovascular system - and should be practiced 3 - 6 days a week to maintain and improve cardiovascular fitness. This leads to a better quality of life, increased efficiency in every day activities and a stronger, more fit heart.
Exercise - particularly strength training and calisthenics can sculpt a body, much like shaping a piece of clay. Strength training also improves bone density. Flexibility training contributes to the shape of a body as well as to it's function.
But, even if you do these activities for hours on end a day, they will not necessarily contribute to weight loss. Especially, if you are using the expenditure of calories from your workout as an excuse to eat ungodly amounts of food.

To lose weight, to lose body mass - it's about the food. Noone wants to hear this or believe it is true. We are constantly looking for the magic pill to fix our body image. There isn't one. It's been proven time and again and now has been revealed in the press, that weight loss really is all about gaining control of your food intake.

If you are trying to lose weight, I challenge you to really examine your eating habits - even before starting an exercise program. Enlist a nutrition professional or a motivating personal trainer to guide you through the process of proper nutrition education, portion sizes and healthy eating.

If you get the nutrition solid, results from an exercise program will not only be maximized, but guaranteed.

Achieving a weight loss goal takes discipline, hard work and resolve. Honestly confirm to yourself that you are willing to undertake a huge project in order to attain your objective.
Think of working out as a bonus calorie burn in the day that you tuck away in your calorie savings account rather than impulsively spending it right away.

Results are worth the sacrifice and nothing feels better than being in control of your own destiny!

(photo from: homebathroomscales.com)