Today's quick tip has more to do with listening to your body than a specific move to add into your day.
It's really important to not over do it when you're working out. Whether you're new to working out or an old pro, it's always important to know your body and listen to what it's telling you!
If you're doing an exercise video or working out with someone at the gym, it can feel like you need to keep up with everyone. It's extremely important for you to not get injured trying to push yourself to the limit. Injuries can happen easily when you're moving too fast for your fitness level and not doing the exercises properly. So take your time, learn the moves and then progress to doing it faster when your body is comfortable with the moves.
Another reason that listening to your body is so important is so that your don't over do it and decide it's too hard. This is why many beginners quit; they workout one day extremely hard and push themselves to what they feel like they should be able to do and then the next day they are too sore to do anything and fall back into lazy habits. You need to know the difference between what you think you should be able to do and what you can do right now. What you think you should be able to do should be your goal and you should progress slowly towards it so that you don't kill yourself. Killing yourself in a workout only makes you hate working out. Taking your time and progressing at your own pace helps to alleviate some of the workout soreness and pain you'll get so that you can keep going.
Now, this is not to say that you should be really easy on yourself and have lazy workouts every day because that will only accomplish the same result of falling back into lazy habits because you don't see changes in your body. It takes time to know your limits so be patient and feel what your body is telling you. If you get sharp pains in your knees or ankles, take it easy on them and do your leg moves slowly to get your muscles warmed up and then you can work into doing it faster once you've built up those muscles. If you feel your abs on fire, keep going! Don't stop when your muscles are sore, stop when you're in real physical pain or when you feel your body giving out. There is no shame is taking it slow at first but make sure you're not just feeling lazy!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Multiple Muscle Monday!
Today's move: Squat with twist!
Try this little move to get your legs, buns and obliques working overtime!
Here is a video of how-to if you're unfamiliar with this move:
Enjoy your Monday!
Try this little move to get your legs, buns and obliques working overtime!
Here is a video of how-to if you're unfamiliar with this move:
Enjoy your Monday!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Trainer Thursday!
Today I wanted to share my favorite beginner yoga instructor!
Sara Ivanhoe is the instructor for the DVD "Crunch: Candlelight Yoga"
She has such a clam and relaxing voice and demeanor that is so easy to listen to that you can relax and take it easy in this DVD. She doesn't push you into poses you can't do so it's great for a beginner to use for a refreshing and relaxing session.
Since she doesn't push you to do things and is so easy and relaxing, it's not really a great work out. It is wonderful for stretching out and getting better balance!
Yoga is my favorite way to relax and get refreshed because the stretches do your body so much good! So try out this DVD if you're a beginner and I can guarantee you won't regret it :)
Sara Ivanhoe is the instructor for the DVD "Crunch: Candlelight Yoga"
She has such a clam and relaxing voice and demeanor that is so easy to listen to that you can relax and take it easy in this DVD. She doesn't push you into poses you can't do so it's great for a beginner to use for a refreshing and relaxing session.
Since she doesn't push you to do things and is so easy and relaxing, it's not really a great work out. It is wonderful for stretching out and getting better balance!
Yoga is my favorite way to relax and get refreshed because the stretches do your body so much good! So try out this DVD if you're a beginner and I can guarantee you won't regret it :)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Work it Out Wednesday!
Today's the day! We're stronger and ready to go harder than before today!
It's halfway through the work week for most of us and that means there's no excuse to not push yourself today and feel strong and powerful!
This week we're going to look at another awesome Fitsugar video!
This is a great quick work out to help you gear up for Spring break! That is if you get a spring break.... If not, then you can use this to get out your vacationless frustrations ;)
It's halfway through the work week for most of us and that means there's no excuse to not push yourself today and feel strong and powerful!
This week we're going to look at another awesome Fitsugar video!
This is a great quick work out to help you gear up for Spring break! That is if you get a spring break.... If not, then you can use this to get out your vacationless frustrations ;)
Quick Tip Tuesday!
Sorry I keep posting these on Wednesday! But hey, now you get two fun posts in one day!
Today's quick tip is about how many times to exercise per week. Every trainer has a different opinion- Jillian Michaels says 5x a week while Tracy Anderson says 5-6 days a week.
4-5x a week is a perfect amount of weekly exercise if you are doing more intense workouts that really are hard work for you.
If you're doing a less strenuous workout, you can move up to 5-6x a week for good results.
Remember: Only do what you can! And the faster you want results, the harder you need to push (without getting hurt!) and the more days per week you will need to exercise.
Last but not least! Don't forget to have at least one rest day per week! This lets your muscles relax and refresh so that you can start the next day fresh and strong! You'll also probably notice that you look thinner the day after your rest day because your muscles have had a chance to relax.
Today's quick tip is about how many times to exercise per week. Every trainer has a different opinion- Jillian Michaels says 5x a week while Tracy Anderson says 5-6 days a week.
4-5x a week is a perfect amount of weekly exercise if you are doing more intense workouts that really are hard work for you.
If you're doing a less strenuous workout, you can move up to 5-6x a week for good results.
Remember: Only do what you can! And the faster you want results, the harder you need to push (without getting hurt!) and the more days per week you will need to exercise.
Last but not least! Don't forget to have at least one rest day per week! This lets your muscles relax and refresh so that you can start the next day fresh and strong! You'll also probably notice that you look thinner the day after your rest day because your muscles have had a chance to relax.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Multiple Muscle Monday!
I bet you had a wonderful, relaxing and refreshing weekend right?
Probably not. Most women these days don't get to sit around and lounge all day during the weekends. You were probably working, cleaning, running errands or taking care of you family right? So you probably don't feel like working out today and you feel like you've earned a break since you did so much all weekend! Well, that's not what this is about. You didn't earn anything, you worked hard for everyone else and now it's time to work hard for you. If you don't start this week off strong, you probably won't continue through the week. Life is full of excuses so you're going to have to put those out of your mind and just do it! Even if you only have a few minutes, take the time for you and you'll be thankful later!
Now, on to the real point of today's post! Getting all those muscles burning with every move!
You know I'm obsessed with Jillian Michaels and therefore am obsessed with getting multiple muscle groups with every exercise! If you only like doing one exercise at a time and getting one set of muscles with each move, then you may want to consider how much energy and time you're wasting. Getting as many muscle as possible with one move burns so many more calories than simply targeting one muscle group with one move. If you want to show off your muscles, you need to burn off the fat first and you can do that by burning a ton of calories in your workout.
Health Magazines Article "5 Best Strength training Moves for Weight Loss" shows some great moves for a full body and fat torching workout! This workout shows off a few of my favorites- squat & press, dolphin plank and superman!
So get moving and get the most out of your hard work with multiple muscle moves! Happy Monday!
Probably not. Most women these days don't get to sit around and lounge all day during the weekends. You were probably working, cleaning, running errands or taking care of you family right? So you probably don't feel like working out today and you feel like you've earned a break since you did so much all weekend! Well, that's not what this is about. You didn't earn anything, you worked hard for everyone else and now it's time to work hard for you. If you don't start this week off strong, you probably won't continue through the week. Life is full of excuses so you're going to have to put those out of your mind and just do it! Even if you only have a few minutes, take the time for you and you'll be thankful later!
Now, on to the real point of today's post! Getting all those muscles burning with every move!
You know I'm obsessed with Jillian Michaels and therefore am obsessed with getting multiple muscle groups with every exercise! If you only like doing one exercise at a time and getting one set of muscles with each move, then you may want to consider how much energy and time you're wasting. Getting as many muscle as possible with one move burns so many more calories than simply targeting one muscle group with one move. If you want to show off your muscles, you need to burn off the fat first and you can do that by burning a ton of calories in your workout.
Health Magazines Article "5 Best Strength training Moves for Weight Loss" shows some great moves for a full body and fat torching workout! This workout shows off a few of my favorites- squat & press, dolphin plank and superman!
So get moving and get the most out of your hard work with multiple muscle moves! Happy Monday!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Fun Fitness Friday!!
It's finally the end of the work week and time to have some fun! So let's start the weekend with a fun workout to get you pumped up and feeling great!
This first video is hard but fun because you get to try something new and push yourself to feel really powerful!
This Capoeira workout is intense and difficult so only do what you can!
This next video is still hard but fun and powerful with some boxing moves and training
Again, this can be really hard so push yourself when you can but know your body and make sure to not get injured doing all of this!
If those were a little too intense for you, try just adding in some fun boxing moves to your routine to get your heart rate up and make you feel strong and powerful!
Here's a video to give you some inspiration for moves to add to your workout today!
This first video is hard but fun because you get to try something new and push yourself to feel really powerful!
This Capoeira workout is intense and difficult so only do what you can!
This next video is still hard but fun and powerful with some boxing moves and training
Again, this can be really hard so push yourself when you can but know your body and make sure to not get injured doing all of this!
If those were a little too intense for you, try just adding in some fun boxing moves to your routine to get your heart rate up and make you feel strong and powerful!
Here's a video to give you some inspiration for moves to add to your workout today!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Trainer Thursday!
Fitsugar is a great website to find videos from the trainers of your favorite stars! Today's video comes from Jessica Alba's trainer!
This crossfit workout will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning so prepare to be exhausted and proud at the end!
Want more videos from trainers that create those amazing sculpted bodies you see in every magazine? Follow the Fitsugar link above to check out a ton of great work outs!
This crossfit workout will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning so prepare to be exhausted and proud at the end!
Want more videos from trainers that create those amazing sculpted bodies you see in every magazine? Follow the Fitsugar link above to check out a ton of great work outs!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Work it Out Wednesday!
It's half way through the week and time to pump up that fitness routine! Try to do something extra today in your work out routine to spice things up and really push yourself!
Here is a great arm sequence to add in by Tracy Anderson that really gets those arms tiny and strong-
This is just a little extra to pump up those arms so make sure you are already doing a strong base routine to get your whole body moving today!
If you don't have a routine or are just bored with your current exercise technique, try one of these videos to figure out what style of fitness is right for you and spice up your exercise time!
Here is a great routine that's pretty long so it will really give you a full body blast and get you over that mid-week hump-
This video is intense so don't worry about getting through it all! If you can't make it through the whole thing, just add a few extra easy moves after you've gotten as far as you can in this video to make sure you are really pushing yourself.
Intense cardio isn't for everyone, so here is another routine that's shorter and a little less intense for those of us who feel like we may die doing 55 minutes of intense fitness!
This is a Pilates video that is great for beginners and really gets you sore in different muscles than conventional forms of fitness.
So whether you just need to add a little boost or try a whole new routine, get up and push yourself farther today because it will make you feel so much more strong and powerful!
Here is a great arm sequence to add in by Tracy Anderson that really gets those arms tiny and strong-
This is just a little extra to pump up those arms so make sure you are already doing a strong base routine to get your whole body moving today!
If you don't have a routine or are just bored with your current exercise technique, try one of these videos to figure out what style of fitness is right for you and spice up your exercise time!
Here is a great routine that's pretty long so it will really give you a full body blast and get you over that mid-week hump-
This video is intense so don't worry about getting through it all! If you can't make it through the whole thing, just add a few extra easy moves after you've gotten as far as you can in this video to make sure you are really pushing yourself.
Intense cardio isn't for everyone, so here is another routine that's shorter and a little less intense for those of us who feel like we may die doing 55 minutes of intense fitness!
This is a Pilates video that is great for beginners and really gets you sore in different muscles than conventional forms of fitness.
So whether you just need to add a little boost or try a whole new routine, get up and push yourself farther today because it will make you feel so much more strong and powerful!
Quick Tip Tuesday!
I know everyone has those busy days when a work out is just not an option! So it's up to you to look for little ways to fit in some movement.
Here a couple ideas to get you moving a little and inspire you to fit in extra movement in your every day life!
Those are just a couple of the easy things you can do on those busy days!
Here a couple ideas to get you moving a little and inspire you to fit in extra movement in your every day life!
- Calf raises while you wait for the microwave.
- Walking a little faster than usual to your car to get that heart rate up.
- Dance in the kitchen while making dinner.
Those are just a couple of the easy things you can do on those busy days!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Multiple Muscle Monday!
I love being able to have a good long workout and hit all my muscles individually, but that's not always how my schedule works! Being a busy, working woman only allows me so much time to work out so I really love getting several muscles with one move when I can!
I got the idea of hitting more than one muscle with every move from Jillian Michaels in her workout videos. She is always talking about getting her whole body working even if she's mainly trying to workout on part of her body. This is a great mentality to have because it means you're really getting an all over lean and greater fat loss by using every muscle in your workout. Plus, it's a faster way to get a full body sweat!
Ballet Boot Camp is a great example of targeting multiple muscles by adding hand weights to leg and ab exercises.
Tracy Anderson is a another great trainer for this type of workout and she shows it here in her dumbbell workout for Health Magazine. This workout shows several easy ways to add dumbbells to an already fat scorching routine.
My favorite ways to get multiple muscle groups with one move are to combine things like calf raises and bicep curls or shoulder presses. Combining the two allows for you to get you arms and calves as well as strengthening your core by causing you to need it to stay balanced. These kind of easy changes to an already existing routine make it easier to build in more without taking more time out of your day.
If you really want to get the most out of your every workout move, I recommend anything by Jillian Michaels, she is the best at combining moves to make you burn the most fat off your body and get you lean and looking great in no time!
Try just adding just a little bit of multiple muscle moves to your work out today and see how it makes you feel!
I got the idea of hitting more than one muscle with every move from Jillian Michaels in her workout videos. She is always talking about getting her whole body working even if she's mainly trying to workout on part of her body. This is a great mentality to have because it means you're really getting an all over lean and greater fat loss by using every muscle in your workout. Plus, it's a faster way to get a full body sweat!
Ballet Boot Camp is a great example of targeting multiple muscles by adding hand weights to leg and ab exercises.
Tracy Anderson is a another great trainer for this type of workout and she shows it here in her dumbbell workout for Health Magazine. This workout shows several easy ways to add dumbbells to an already fat scorching routine.
My favorite ways to get multiple muscle groups with one move are to combine things like calf raises and bicep curls or shoulder presses. Combining the two allows for you to get you arms and calves as well as strengthening your core by causing you to need it to stay balanced. These kind of easy changes to an already existing routine make it easier to build in more without taking more time out of your day.
If you really want to get the most out of your every workout move, I recommend anything by Jillian Michaels, she is the best at combining moves to make you burn the most fat off your body and get you lean and looking great in no time!
Try just adding just a little bit of multiple muscle moves to your work out today and see how it makes you feel!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Fun Fitness Friday!
Getting into shape shouldn't be torture or punishment, it should be a part of your lifestyle that makes you feel good. Don't do a work out that you hate, you won't continue and it won't make your soul feel good. Fridays are about fun fitness, so lets look at one of my favorite ways to get cardio and have fun!
If you're anything like me, you can't dance gracefully to save your life and would be embarrassed to attend any sort of dance fitness course in public. That's where Zumba videos come in handy! There a ton of great free Zumba videos on YouTube just waiting for you to start at home! This one is great for getting your heart rate up and makes you work those abs standing up!
This one is short but it's a great warm up for at home, so just off the couch and try it out!
Now, I know there are those of you out there that are fabulous dancers and love to show off in public! So for you, I would recommend trying out Tracy Anderson's Dance Cardio DVD. It is a wonderful way to blast off fat with heart pumping moves that will make you sweat! Here is a little preview of her dance cardio DVD to see if it might be right for you!
There are a lot of wonderful Zumba classes out there at your local gyms to try out if you feel like you want to show off your moves to the world! So whether you're uncoordinated like me or a dancing queen, try out some Zumba today and get to sweating! I promise you'll be happy you got up and moved today :)
If you're anything like me, you can't dance gracefully to save your life and would be embarrassed to attend any sort of dance fitness course in public. That's where Zumba videos come in handy! There a ton of great free Zumba videos on YouTube just waiting for you to start at home! This one is great for getting your heart rate up and makes you work those abs standing up!
This one is short but it's a great warm up for at home, so just off the couch and try it out!
Now, I know there are those of you out there that are fabulous dancers and love to show off in public! So for you, I would recommend trying out Tracy Anderson's Dance Cardio DVD. It is a wonderful way to blast off fat with heart pumping moves that will make you sweat! Here is a little preview of her dance cardio DVD to see if it might be right for you!
There are a lot of wonderful Zumba classes out there at your local gyms to try out if you feel like you want to show off your moves to the world! So whether you're uncoordinated like me or a dancing queen, try out some Zumba today and get to sweating! I promise you'll be happy you got up and moved today :)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Trainer Thursday!
This Thursday I wanted to talk about one of my favorite trainers- Jillian Michaels. She is one of the best people that can get you up off the couch and sweating at home with her work out DVD's. Since I'm sure I will be talking about Jillian much more, today I want to focus on her DVD "6 Weeks to 6-Pack Abs."
Jillian Michaels is a hard core trainer so don't be fooled into a false sense of ease with at home DVD workouts. This workout is on of my favorites from her because it's hard but it's not deadly. It's something everyone can at least try to do and that's what I think is important. Not everyone can do every move since some of them are quite difficult for even the women on the video so don't get discouraged if you can't make it through!
I could talk for days about how much I love Jillian for her full body and high intensity work outs but rather than read about it, why not check out level one of this DVD. Do as much as you can and don't skimp of the warm up or cool down- those are extremely important in preventing injuries.
I hope you got up and tried this work out with Jillian and you know I'll be doing this in just a few hours too so you're not alone!
You can find all of Jillian Michaels work out DVD's on Amazon.
Jillian Michaels is a hard core trainer so don't be fooled into a false sense of ease with at home DVD workouts. This workout is on of my favorites from her because it's hard but it's not deadly. It's something everyone can at least try to do and that's what I think is important. Not everyone can do every move since some of them are quite difficult for even the women on the video so don't get discouraged if you can't make it through!
I could talk for days about how much I love Jillian for her full body and high intensity work outs but rather than read about it, why not check out level one of this DVD. Do as much as you can and don't skimp of the warm up or cool down- those are extremely important in preventing injuries.
I hope you got up and tried this work out with Jillian and you know I'll be doing this in just a few hours too so you're not alone!
You can find all of Jillian Michaels work out DVD's on Amazon.
Work it out Wednesday!
This is for all of you working women out there who think they just can't get in a good work out in the amount of time they have after work. Fitsugar is one of my favorite quick work out resources for those of you who need a quick full body work out. They offer a ton of awesome videos that are about ten minutes and will get your heart rate up and make you sweat!
Here is one of my favorite full body cardio work outs:
Only have ten minutes? This video is all you need to get sweaty and blast that fat!
Have a little longer than ten minutes? Try this video as a quick warm up and then do some ab and arm work on your own since this video gets your legs burning!
Here is are two great ab and arm work outs to help make your work out last longer and get your whole body burning!
Jillian Michael's Ab Workout
Tone Your Arms in 7 Days
Lastly, don't forget to stretch with this quick full body relaxation yoga
I hope you enjoy all these quick work outs and make sure you push yourself but don't kill your body on the first day or you won't want to work out again! Listen to your body and take it as fast or as slow as you want to make sure your body gets the full benefits and your mind is at ease afterwards.
Here is one of my favorite full body cardio work outs:
Only have ten minutes? This video is all you need to get sweaty and blast that fat!
Have a little longer than ten minutes? Try this video as a quick warm up and then do some ab and arm work on your own since this video gets your legs burning!
Here is are two great ab and arm work outs to help make your work out last longer and get your whole body burning!
Jillian Michael's Ab Workout
Tone Your Arms in 7 Days
Lastly, don't forget to stretch with this quick full body relaxation yoga
I hope you enjoy all these quick work outs and make sure you push yourself but don't kill your body on the first day or you won't want to work out again! Listen to your body and take it as fast or as slow as you want to make sure your body gets the full benefits and your mind is at ease afterwards.
About Me
I have always been naturally small and thin and until the last year did not worry about working out or eating right. I ate fast food and sweets every day and my only form of exercise was walking to and from classes in college. This unhealthy lifestyle caused me to have the unrelenting belly pooch, stretch marks on mt inner thighs and cellulite all over my upper thighs. Since I am small and have always weighed less than I should for my height, I never saw a problem with my unhealthy lifestyle. I would always cover up my thighs with shorts during bikini season and suck in my stomach basically every day since I was 12.
It wasn't until I graduated college that being healthier started to mean something to me. There was a particular day when I felt that my stomach was not only a little bigger than I would like but more importantly was squishy. I mean really squishy, I could mush and mold my belly fat far more than anyone that weighs 110 lbs should be able to. That was the day I decided I needed to make it a priority to work out.
I started the summer after I graduated college because I was unemployed and had nothing to do with my free time except design clothing and work on being a healthier person. Since I had all the time in the world, I was working out for about 3 hours every day and spending and hour or so before that getting my body ready to work out with the right fuel and warm ups. This routine worked wonders for my body and I started seeing a change in the way my body looked and felt really quickly.
Even though no one else really noticed a difference, I was doing it for me and I was loving it! I was more confident and felt amazing about myself and my body. I was even confident enough to wear a bikini without a cover up for the first time in years.
The problem came when I started working again and was on my feet all day. I was so exhausted and my feet were throbbing so much when I got home that it took all my energy to feed myself. My shifts were so scattered and I just couldn't bring myself to continue working out as I had before. I tried every once in a while to do a little work out video but nothing really stuck.
Finally I changed jobs and started working a 9-4 desk job that had me off my feet all day and earned me more money to buy better food. This transition into a new work environment is what got me back on track and back to feeling better about myself.
This blog is about over coming those obstacles in your daily life that make it hard to get fit. I have had to change my work out routine many times to accommodate changing schedules and plans but I have always made time to sweat. Even if you can only start off with 5 minutes a day, I promise it will be worth it. The sooner you stop making excuses the sooner you can get into better shape and start feeling better about yourself.
I'm excited to start this adventure with you and hope that this blog will help inspire you to get off the couch and start working out!
It wasn't until I graduated college that being healthier started to mean something to me. There was a particular day when I felt that my stomach was not only a little bigger than I would like but more importantly was squishy. I mean really squishy, I could mush and mold my belly fat far more than anyone that weighs 110 lbs should be able to. That was the day I decided I needed to make it a priority to work out.
I started the summer after I graduated college because I was unemployed and had nothing to do with my free time except design clothing and work on being a healthier person. Since I had all the time in the world, I was working out for about 3 hours every day and spending and hour or so before that getting my body ready to work out with the right fuel and warm ups. This routine worked wonders for my body and I started seeing a change in the way my body looked and felt really quickly.
Even though no one else really noticed a difference, I was doing it for me and I was loving it! I was more confident and felt amazing about myself and my body. I was even confident enough to wear a bikini without a cover up for the first time in years.
The problem came when I started working again and was on my feet all day. I was so exhausted and my feet were throbbing so much when I got home that it took all my energy to feed myself. My shifts were so scattered and I just couldn't bring myself to continue working out as I had before. I tried every once in a while to do a little work out video but nothing really stuck.
Finally I changed jobs and started working a 9-4 desk job that had me off my feet all day and earned me more money to buy better food. This transition into a new work environment is what got me back on track and back to feeling better about myself.
This blog is about over coming those obstacles in your daily life that make it hard to get fit. I have had to change my work out routine many times to accommodate changing schedules and plans but I have always made time to sweat. Even if you can only start off with 5 minutes a day, I promise it will be worth it. The sooner you stop making excuses the sooner you can get into better shape and start feeling better about yourself.
I'm excited to start this adventure with you and hope that this blog will help inspire you to get off the couch and start working out!
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