Category Archives: fitness

5 Ways to Motivate Your Workout

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Do gym sessions have you stuck in a rut? If you find yourself more drawn to washing out the bathtub, mowing the lawn, or continuously waiting until next Monday to start getting your fitness on track, it’s time for a change.

1 / Refresh Your Playlist

There’s absolutely no denying it, music plays a pivotal role in workout motivation. Not only has self-selected music been shown to increase performance during explosive exercise, but one study from Ohio State suggests that listening to music while exercising might improve verbal fluency and overall mental performance1. Tune in to benefit both your body and brain.

Most people come to a halt as soon as the music stops, so a fully charged Mp3 player is essential. Branch out from the basics and make sure your motivation holds strong by continually refreshing your playlist. Seek new music that keeps your energy up. Aim for songs that meet the recommended 120-140 beats per minute (BPM)—the pace that roughly corresponds to the average person’s heart rate during a workout routine.

If you’ve been listening to the same songs for a while, change them before they lose their “pump-you-up” appeal. Find some fresh new music to get you excited to hit the gym again.

2 / Watch Any Motivational Personal Trainer

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. While you might not be able to afford a personal trainer, turning to the Internet for some pre-workout fitspiration is a great way to pump up your motivation level.

The advent of YouTube lets you easily locate just about any sort of video that inspires you—whether that is an instructional how-to, a compilation of ‘mirin-worthy photos, or a demo by a strong, powerful trainer you admire. Watch one or two videos before you hit the gym and, chances are, you’ll give a much better effort.

3 / Try A Pre-Workout Supplement

The next must-do if you want to keep from falling off the workout bandwagon is to try out a pre-workout supplement. If you have never used a pre-workout product before, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’ve been using the same one for years, it’s time for a refresher. The supplement industry constantly changes, and companies come out with new and improved versions and formulas of existing products.

Whether you’re after more power, more energy to combat fatigue, or improved mental focus and concentration, you can find a pre-workout tailored to your specific needs.

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4 / Set Specific Workout Goals
While it’s great to work toward that six-pack, or post photos of giant biceps on your vision board, short-term goals are paramount to your success. When you only focus on that long-term objective far off in the distance, it becomes much easier to skip a session or have one too many cheat meals. Take some time before you start each workout session and choose one or two specific things you want to accomplish during that workout. This way, your workout has greater meaning, and you have a real reason to hit the gym.

What’s also great about this technique is that after each workout is completed, and you successfully accomplish the goal you set out to do, you’ll experience a huge boost to your self-efficacy. You increase your belief that you can dominate any workout you set out to achieve.

5 / Try One New Exercise Variation Per Workout

Finally, change things up if you want to see significant improvements to your drive and desire. Try adding in one new exercise variation per workout. New exercises keep you interested. We all seek variety in our routine and, if it’s not being met, we’re likely to skip a session. One slight change is often all you need to create the variety your mind craves. There is no need for extensive planning. A change could be as easy as using a different grip placement on the bench press or using a wider stance for your full-depth squat sets.

An additional benefit to using this technique: it prevents you from hitting that dreaded plateau. Having ongoing change added to your workout program is going to be vital to ensuring your workout success.

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Fitness Facts: Fat

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Fitness Facts: FAT:
🔹Believe it or not, fat is a nutrient! It is crucial for normal body function and without it we could not live.
🔹Fat plays a vital role in insulating body organs, maintaining body temperature, promoting healthy cell function, maintaining healthy skin and hair, and even preventing disease.
🔹Another of the main purposes of fat is as a source of energy- the body can pull on its fat reserves and convert it into glucose.
🔹But too much reserve fat can definitely be unhealthy! Excess fat can negatively affect many of the body’s processes, including digestion, respiration, circulation, and even brain function.
🔹Large amounts of excess fat can lead to many types of lifestyle disorders & diseases, including low energy, low self esteem, joint, muscle, & nerve pain, asthma, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack and even death.
🔹The human body creates fat storage from excess calories. Excess calories are calories that have been consumed and not burned through daily living and exercise.
🔹To burn excess fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. The best way to do this would be to eat a low calorie nutritionally balanced diet and exercise at a challenging intensity for at least 30 minutes 4-6 days a week.
🔹1 lb of fat = 3,500 calories. An average individual can healthily burn fat at a minimum rate of 1-2 lbs/week by creating a deficit in daily calorie intake + burn. To burn 2 lbs/week (7,000 cals), create a 1,000 cal/day calorie deficit.
🔹There are many online and mobile resources to track calorie intake & burn! From websites, phone apps, food logs, pedometers, or even wrist or arm bands, there is an abundance of ways to monitor calories and track fat loss.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE #FITNESSFACTS

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10 Mistakes in Your Ab Workout

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But here’s the thing about ab training: What you do is only one half of the equation. What you don’t do is the other—and I’m not just talking about the usual pre-photo shoot fitness model tricks like avoiding sodium, carbs, happiness, or air. I’m referring to the piles of abominable abdominal misinformation lurking out there, both on television and in casual conversation. Perhaps more than any other body part, ab training keeps you constantly on guard against making basic mistakes.

Below are 10 of the biggest ab training mistakes I see people make. I could say I “always” see people make them, because that’s how people talk about abs, but that’s not technically accurate. I mean, everybody has to blink sometimes, and every once in a while I have to go get a drink of water. But aside from that, yeah, it’s pretty much constant.

But if you can minimize—or completely eliminate—these mistakes, you might just see your abs pop out sooner than planned.

AB FLUB 1: FORGETTING ABOUT COMPOUND EXERCISES
If you strictly perform isolation ab exercises, you’re making a huge mistake. Compound movements like deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses engage every inch of your core. Don’t forget to include them in your training program.

AB FLUB 2: DOING AB EXERCISES FIRST
Your abs are part of your core area, which helps stabilize your body. If you fatigue them early in your workout, you will have a hard time doing other ab-intensive exercises like squats.

And just so we’re clear, the role that your core plays in squats is to protect your spine, so you want them to have a full tank at that point. Save your ab training for the end.

AB FLUB 3: THINKING YOU CAN OUT-CRUNCH YOUR DIET
The secret to visible abs is no secret at all: Lower your body fat percentage. This doesn’t happen by doing hundreds of reps of ab exercises—nor thousands, nor millions. You can train your abs all you want, but if your diet isn’t in check, you’ll never see that six-pack.

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“YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR ABS ALL YOU WANT, BUT IF YOUR DIET ISN’T IN CHECK, YOU’LL NEVER SEE THAT SIX-PACK.”

AB FLUB 4: HAVING A FULL WORKOUT JUST FOR ABS
All you need is 15 minutes. If you’re already doing compound exercises like squats and deadlifts, one or two ab exercises for 2-3 sets each at the end of your workout is sufficient.

AB FLUB 5: TRAINING THEM EVERY DAY
“But Arnold worked the abs every day!” Save it. Abs are just like any other muscle in your body. That means they need time to recover. When they get worked hard, a couple of days’ reprieve is necessary, in my opinion.

If you can crunch yourself into submission one day and then wake up the next morning ready for more, take it as proof that crunches aren’t actually working your abs as hard as they should be.

Try a harder movement and tell me if you’re up for repeating it tomorrow.

AB FLUB 6: ONLY DOING CRUNCHES
I heard the question you just screamed “So what’s better than a crunch, maaan?” There are dozens of exercises that are much more effective than the traditional crunch.

In fact, the traditional crunch is one of the least effective ab exercises you can do. And just because you can’t perform these other movements for hundreds of reps doesn’t mean they’re not effective. Trust me, this one is: click here for video

AB FLUB 7: NOT FOCUSING ON FORM
Again, abs are just like any other muscle in your body. So why are you writhing around like you’re on fire to work them, when you’re a stickler for form on your squats and presses? Focus on form and make sure your abs engage in every rep.

When you start doing more advanced and effective ab movements like the pike roll-out, you’ll discover that they’re pretty much impossible to perform sloppily.

AB FLUB 8: FORGETTING ABOUT YOUR LOWER BACK
The core has a front and a side, but it has a back, too. A lot of people neglect the lower back muscles (erector spinae), so make sure to train them just as you would with every other muscle.

If you want to have a strong core, treat your lower back like your abs. Train it hard and smart, and you’ll feel as strong as you look.

AB FLUB 9: ONLY WORKING IN ONE ANGLE
Your obliques, transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae are all part of your core, but they’re different muscles with fibers running in all manner of directions. You must train them in more than just one angle.

Complex, difficult movements like windshield wipers can work the whole team at the same time, but if you’re not there yet, don’t take it as an excuse to revert back to middle-school-crunch tests.

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Seated twists (spinal rotation), hyperextensions (spinal extension), side bends (lateral spinal flexion), and planks (isometric/stabilization) are all movements that target your core in more comprehensive ways than the typical crunch (spinal flexion).

AB FLUB 10: USING INFOMERCIAL AB GIZMOS
Click here for YouTube video

Seriously? That thing brings you about as close as possible to kicking your own ass. And if you really think that wiggling from side to side is enough to make you lose 10 pounds in two weeks, you’ve got the kick coming!

For more information go to BodyBuilding.com

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Fitness Facts: Sleep

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Fitness Facts: SLEEP:
🔹Sleep is a crucial factor for any fitness goal, whether it’s weight loss, general health, or muscle gain.
🔹7-9 hours of sleep per night is recommended, while any more or less can be unhealthy.
🔹On average, people that get enough sleep are less over weight, have less lifestyle disorders & diseases, and live longer than people that are sleep deprived.
🔹The human body releases a large blend of chemicals & hormones during sleep, almost all with the purpose of rebuilding and recovering the body.
🔹During sleep, the pituitary gland secretes more growth hormones than during waking hours. Growth hormones aid in fat loss, muscle building, & cell regeneration.
🔹Sleep suppresses appetite and raises metabolism, while allowing the body to rest and recover.
🔹Lack of sleep can raise levels of cortisol in the blood, which can lower metabolism, slow down healing, increase stress, and decrease the body’s ability to build muscle mass.
🔹Poor sleep is more dangerous to women than to men. Women have higher risks of cardiovascular problems when they don’t get enough rest.
🔹A minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity a day increases the body’s ability to fall asleep quicker & deeper! Try to exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime for the best results.

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Fitness Facts: Running

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Fitness Facts: RUNNING:
🔹Running is a great form of cardio & can provide many benefits when combined with a regular strength training routine.
🔹Frequent running can boost the immune system, decrease stress, lower anxiety & depression, lower blood pressure, increase metabolism, & bring more circulation to the brain.
🔹Running a mile can burn between 100-400 calories, depending on the length of time, the weight, & activity level of the runner.
🔹Outdoor running generally burns more calories than on the treadmill, due to the forward propulsion that is needed on ground. Air & wind resistance also plays a part outdoors.
🔹There are 2 primary benefits of treadmill running: once the pace is set, the runner has to keep up with the machine, while outdoors the pace can pick up or slow down periodically. The other largest benefit is the decreased pressure on the joints.
🔹Moderate impact on joints can be a good thing! Running in moderation decreases the risk of bone related diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis.
🔹Because the body hits the ground with 2-3x it’s body weight during running, the most predominate site of injury for runners is the knees. To prevent injury make sure to wear appropriate shoes, stretch before & after the run, stay hydrated & nourished, and focus on proper form.
🔹Basic form tips: Torso should be straight up, not leaning forward. Relax the shoulders away from the ears. Lead with the hips (Don’t let the hips lean back- especially on an incline). Keep the knees low (Don’t let them come up too high toward the torso- this will minimize the impact on the knees when the feet land). Arms should move forward & back- don’t let them cross the midline of the body.

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Fitness Facts: Glutes!!

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Fitness Facts: GLUTES
🔹Glutes is short for Gluteals, which are a group of 3 muscles that make up the buttocks and consist of the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, & gluteus maximus.
🔹The glutes are the largest & strongest muscle group in the human body.
🔹Around 68% of the glutes are comprised of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which react best to low weight, high rep exercises. One of the best ways to develop the glutes is to start with the low rep heavier compound leg exercises (ex: squats, deadlifts, or lunges), then transition to isolation with low weight and high rep (ex: walking lunges, lateral band walks, rear kicks… etc).
🔹Excessive sitting or standing can often lead to tight hip flexors, imbalanced quadricep strength, and tight hamstrings. This can lead to injury, poor posture, or chronic lower back pain. Strengthening the glutes can help prevent a lot of these negative effects.
🔹Well balanced glutes not only look better, but can also help exercise performance! Running speed, jump height, and balance can all be improved with stronger glutes.
🔹The heels are the base of the feet that support the majority of the glutes in most standing exercises (squats, deadlifts, lunges… etc), so generally if more energy is driven down into the heels, the more the glutes will be activated.
🔹Here are some of the best exercises to work the 3 glute muscles: squats or deadlifts for the gluteus maximus, 1-legged deadlifts or lunges for the gluteus medius, and lateral band walks or side-lying leg lifts for the gluteus minimus.
🔹Stair climbing, walking lunges, & sprinting are great cardio exercises that also target the glutes.

Why Am I So Fat?!

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Have you ever felt like doing this? I’m almost positive I have actual performed this feat at one point. I used to clear a package of double stuffed Oreo cookies no problem. Ben and Jerry’s? I could eat that pint faster than you could take it away from me!

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Then the next day would be followed by this….

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Anyone ever feel like that in the morning?? It’s hard to break the cycle of eating because you feel bad and then feeling bad because you ate. The truth is, most of us use food as comfort, there’s a reason they coined it comfort food. It creeps up on you before you know it and one day you’re in the shower and you look down and your feet have disappeared!

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However all is not lost!! As I said before, I used to weight 160lbs. If you are reading this for the first time….here’s an example:

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Head on over to my post Fat Kid Living Inside Me for more fat kid pictures (you know you’re dying to see them!)
I can proudly say that now, 6 years later, I’m 120lbs (don’t panic, it only took 8 months to get to that weight, I’ve kept it off for 6 years) and I now look like this:

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Special thanks goes out to my amazing husband for being the source of my inspiration, the motivation behind my drive, and the completion to my life!
Here is a small list of success tips I have that will help motivate you all through your journeys:

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Happy hump day everyone!

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Vitamin B Supplements and Your Athletic Nature

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So some of you might supplement your daily nutrition with vitamins, powders or pills. Truth is, it’s much easier to get all your nutrients from these supplements than to eat bounds of vitamin rich foods all while maintaining your strict caloric intake. So how do vitamin Bs help you?

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Most notably, B vitamins-especially thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B6-are used to convert the foods we eat into energy our bodies can use during exercise. Folate and vitamin B12, for example, are required for the synthesis of red blood cells and the repair of damaged muscle cells. Therefore, adequate intake of the B vitamins is important to ensure optimum energy production and recovery.

Now hopefully most of you take a multivitamin every day. If not, you can always Start Here.

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You can always make it a combo deal and add it to your daily Spark intake

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By now you should be thinking about how to incorporate these vitamins into your diet. Whether its by food or vitamins it could truly help your regimen and future goals.

Question of the day: what does your daily diet look like and where would you like to improve on it?
Post your answers and I’ll give feed back and advice to get you where you need to be!

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Alcohol, chocolate, water OH MY!

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Here’s a little bit of information if you are wondering if you can still incorporate chocolate into your diet:

Fitness Facts: CHOCOLATE:
🔹Excessive consumption of Chocolate can definitely be counter productive to a healthy lifestyle, but when added to a diet in small amounts it can provide benefits to both health & fitness!
🔹Most of the benefits from chocolate come from it’s primary ingredient cocoa, so the more cocoa in the chocolate the more benficial it can be. Out of the main 3 types of chocolate (dark, milk, & white), dark chocolate contains the most cocoa.
🔹Chocolate contains notable amounts of Potassium, Iron, & Magnesium, which help with muscle function and preventing cramps.
🔹Chocolate contains the flavonoid Epicatechin, which binds to muscle receptors and may help them resist fatigue.
🔹Chocolate increases blood flow to the heart as well as to the brain, so it can help improve cognitive function and muscle memory.
🔹Chocolate can decrease levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL), as well as decrease blood sugar levels.
🔹Eating a small amount of chocolate 2-3x/week can help lower blood pressure, as well as help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, blood clots, stroke, and arteriosclerosis.
🔹Dark chocolate contains caffeine! A 1.5 ounce bar contains about 27 mg.
🔹To add healthy doses of chocolate into your diet, you can add chocolate chips to trail mix, or add a few scoops of cocoa to your protein or meal replacement shakes to increase the flavor and health value!

Additionally here is some information pertaining to alcohol consumption while dieting:
Fitness Facts: ALCOHOL:
🔹Excess amounts of alcohol can definitely be hazardous to the health & well being of the consumer, but in moderate amounts alcohol can be beneficial!
🔹Moderation with alcohol is defined as no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. One drink can be a beer, 6 fl oz of wine, or shot of liquor.
🔹Moderate drinkers tend to live longer than people who don’t drink at all or those who drink in excess.
🔹Low amounts of alcohol can increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
🔹Alcohol acts as a blood thinner, like aspirin. So when consumed in moderation, it can reduce the likelihood of developing blood clots or coronary heart disease.
🔹If your goal is to gain muscle, don’t drink alcohol immediately pre or post-workout since it causes a drop in testosterone levels while increasing cortisol, a hormone that destroys muscle.
🔹When it comes to alcohol & weight loss, moderate drinking should be cut back to no more than 1-3 drinks/week. Not only does alcohol contain calories (7 calories per gram- that’s more than protein or carbs), but because it takes longer to metabolize in the body than other substances it can slow the metabolism down.
🔹The best way to minimize caloric intake in alcoholic drinks is to either drink the liquor straight, or use a low calorie mixer such as tonic, club soda or watered down fruit juice.
🔹To minimize the damaging effects alcohol can have on your body, drink 1 glass of water for every drink you drank. Especially if you drank close to bedtime! The digestive process slows down when you sleep so diluting the alcohol will ease it’s absorption. And of course this will also make for a less intense hangover 😉

Lastly I will expand on the subject of water consumption:
1st topic of many Fitness Facts to come: WATER:
🔹The human body is 50-65% water. Men contain more water than women.
🔹 Drinking a full glass of water before a meal has been proven to increase weight loss.
🔹 Warm water makes you feel full.
🔹 Ice water boosts your metabolism & immune system.
🔹 Cold water stimulates your brain to release mood-boosting endorphins.
🔹 Dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches, cramps, lack of energy, constipation, and high blood pressure.
🔹 If you’re thirsty, you’re probably already mildy dehydrated. Don’t wait to be thirsty to drink water- drink it throughout the day.
🔹 Divide your weight (in pounds) in half= that’s at least how many fluid ounces of water you should drink a day.
Example: If you weigh 150lbs, 150/2= 75 fl oz (about 4.5 average bottles of water)
🔹 When consuming protein powders to build mass, you need to increase your water intake.
🔹 Excess protein puts extra stress on the kidneys and liver, and water helps the filtration process.

Primal Diet….Caveman Style!

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Get 'em Grok!

Get ’em Grok!

So a few of my friends have inquired lately about the Primal Diet, what is it, where do you find your recipes, and am I crazy for even doing it? Now many people will argue that grains are good for you, I mean, after all they are in the Food Pyramid correct? Well like everything else in the world, they sadly, are not good for you. YES you need fiber but what most don’t realize is that you can get your fiber not only from fiber drinks such as Advocare’s Peaches and Cream Fiber Drink but you can get it from simply eating your fruits and vegtables too. Broccoli is my go to fiberous vegtable and its so delicious! But I HATE broccoli you may say? Well luckily I have provided you a list of foods high in fiber along with their fiber content:

Here’s a look at the fiber content of some common foods. Read nutrition labels to find out exactly how much fiber is in your favorite foods. Women should try to eat at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day, while men should aim for 30 to 38 grams a day.

Vegetables Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Artichoke, cooked 1 medium 10.3
Green peas, cooked 1 cup 8.8
Broccoli, boiled 1 cup 5.1
Turnip greens, boiled 1 cup 5.0
Brussels sprouts, cooked 1 cup 4.1
Sweet corn, cooked 1 cup 4.0
Potato, with skin, baked 1 small 3.0
Tomato paste 1/4 cup 2.7
Carrot, raw 1 medium 1.7
Fruits Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Raspberries 1 cup 8.0
Pear, with skin 1 medium 5.5
Apple, with skin 1 medium 4.4
Banana 1 medium 3.1
Orange 1 medium 3.1
Strawberries (halves) 1 cup 3.0
Figs, dried 2 medium 1.6
Raisins 1 ounce (60 raisins) 1.0

Now I have to not only give credit to the Mayo Clinic for providing that information but I must give a shout out to Mark’s Daily Apple for the wealth of information he has provided in my quest to be more Primal. See, it’s not simply the newest Fad diet out on the internet, it’s a way of life. Its getting back down to our roots and focusing on the little things, playing outside, smelling flowers, not ingesting poison only to be unhappy and unsatisfied with the results, which we caused ourselves in the first place. Let’s get honest, how many times have we seen or heard someone who is overweight and unhappy with their lives, complain all day about it only to stop at McDonald’s on the way home or buy that dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and eat the whole thing? It’s time to take control of our lives!! Is this the end result we want:

Today's Society

Today’s Society

I seriously doubt the answer to that question is yes….

Follow these guidelines

Follow these guidelines


Here’s the one concern I found with all this trying to eat healthy junk: it’s expensive!! You would think the opposite would be true right? I mean if it comes straight from the ground it shouldn’t cost nearly as much as it does. Well folks that’s the world we live in. Every week I try to budget accordingly, put aside $200 a paycheck for Costco trips….waittttttt Costco isn’t primal….is it? HA, well they have a large meat, seafood and produce section. As long as you can eat all that food before it goes back, you can really make your dollar stretch far there. I tend to buy mostly berries for fruits, the sugars in other fruits can be too much and most people don’t even realize the sugar content in fruit. For veggies I keep it simple, broccoli, kale, spinach, peppers, onions and mixed bags of veggies to change it up. For meat, well it’s simple: red meat, chicken, fish or any seafood really. We tend to catch our own fish here on the weekends (gotta love the florida keys) and even lobster when it’s in season! Grok would be proud! At this point I see you all scratching your heads going “who the F is Grok?!” Grok is the official prototype for primal living. He is who we should model ourselves after in the quest for our most natural lifestyle. I’ll leave you all with that….for now.

For Paleo and Primal recipes, come follow my Pinterest and my Twitter for all things Primal and healthy! Grok on my friends!!