Christmas Workout

I hope you all had a fabulous and fun Christmas! The boys were adorable. My 6yo kept saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!" You just can't beat that.
I was part of a Cardio Christmas party on Christmas Eve. The workout was pretty simple as we all just had half an hour.

We did 20-30 reps of the following. Between each set we would do 30 walking lunges and then run backwards with the weights held above our heads. So fun!

Frontal raise - Take the bar or weights down to the ground then swing them up in front of you until they're overhead, slowly lower and repeat.
Overhead Press
Burpies - Jump down, pushup, jump up, jack, repeat
Jacks
Bent-over row
Biceps Curl
Overhead triceps press
Squat leaps


Have a wonderful Christmas break. We've got lots of snow so we'll be spending our break playing outside then drinking enough cocoa to rejuvenate our energy and get back outside.

Another hard workout

This was a crazy workout, we did at least thirty reps of each and then moved on. It was kind of nice not to have to go back through the circuit but thirty reps can get really tiring!

Warm-up

Squat (with weights above your head)
Bent-over Reverse Fly
Dead Lift
Pushup (with legs up on a table or high platform - we used the spin bikes handles)
Walking Lunge
Frontal Raise
Squat X Leap - Squat down low then jump wide like an X
Upright Row
Lunge-Jump Change
Biceps
Side Lunge - touch weight on floor, then jump to middle twice with weight above head
Triceps Overhead Extension
Squat Jump - straight up

Enjoy the Season

Things have been crazy at our house and we aren't eating very healthy or working out as regularly as we should be. Tis the season for craziness, lots of love, and yummy cookies. I thought I'd share a few tips to keep us all happy and energized throughout the season.

1- Only eat something if it is truly a Christmas treat. Just because they make Oreos with red and green filling does not mean they're an exclusive Christmas treat, but Aunt Abbie's peppermint dessert? That's worth savoring.

2 - Turn on Christmas music and dance. My boys think Mom spinning to the Nutcracker is hilarious.

3 - Go ice-skating, sledding, snow-shoeing, or cross-country skiing. Try out a new sport, the variety is great for improving physical fitness and the challenge is wonderful for your mind.

4 - Go for a walk outside. When the temperature is below 50 you burn more calories - it's worth it to freeze the tip of your nose but if it's so cold your eyelashes crystallize you'd better take it to the treadmill.

5 - Bake your favorite treats, have a sample, then take them to all the neighbors. The visits will be more fun than the baked goods.

6 - Enjoy your family and forget about everything else. Play with your kids. Read Christmas stories and thrive on their childlike joy. Snuggle up with your sweetheart and burn some calories kissing in front of the tree.

7 - Focus on the Savior and following his example of love and service, the real reason we celebrate this blessed holiday, and the joy will continue throughout the new year.

 

Merry Christmas!

Can't raise my arms

Last week's workout was so killer I almost cried when I got in the shower after and realized I had to wash my hair!

We did a circuit with 30 reps, 25 reps, 20 reps, 15 reps, 10 reps, and 5 reps. It got really old!

Kettle-bell swings
Box Jumps
Lateral Raise
Lunges with one weight raised overhead

Last week's workout

Time goes fast! I started planning my class for Monday and realized I hadn't shared last Monday's class with you. It was pretty simple but still hard for me!

Warm-up
Twenty reps of each, four rounds of the following:
Split lunge (back leg on ball) using a weighted bar for stability or holding bar above head
One-legged dead lifts with bar (can use handweights any time instead of bar)
Pushups (with legs on ball)
Ab crunches with ball (pull knees into chest as pull ball from knees to toes)
Overhead press (bar or ball)
Biceps Curl
Overhead triceps press (lying on ball)
Squats (can add jump to make it harder)

Hope you all have a restful Sunday and are ready to workout hard come Monday!

Metabolism - Make it work for you

Rev up your metabolism to lose weight – the idea is on the cover of most magazines and the talk of the fitness industry. But what is metabolism and is it possible to increase it? Metabolism is basically how your body burns calories. Those blessed with a fast metabolism burn calories quickly and are able to keep weight off more easily. Metabolism is based on many factors – age, gender, genetics, weight, and muscle mass, to name a few. Of course we can’t do much about our family history, age, or gender, but there are tricks to increase your metabolism that will make you a more efficient calorie burner and help you stay thin and fit without as much effort.

1. Lift weights - Every pound of muscle burns 35 calories a day, while each pound of fat burns just 2 calories per day. Increase the size of your weights to burn more - When lifting identical volumes (such as 10 pounds 10 times or 20 pounds 5 times), those using heavier dumbbells burn about 25 percent more calories. Many women are afraid of lifting heavy weights, but it is impossible to bulk up without testosterone. Use a weight that is challenging to you, but won’t cause injury. You’ll lose weight and increase muscle tone much faster.

2. Drink plenty of water - if you're dehydrated you will burn fewer calories throughout the day. To burn an extra ten calories a day make sure your water is icy cold. Ten calories may not seem like much, but it adds up to a pound lost a year.

3. Eat more often. It may sound crazy to those trying to lose weight by restricting their daily caloric intake, but the problem with this old school of thought, explains Michigan dietician Julie Beyer, is that it actually slows metabolism. Recent studies show that eating smaller meals every three to four hours aids metabolism and weight loss. "When you put too many hours between meals, your metabolism actually slows down to compensate. If you then eat a huge meal - at the same time your metabolism is functioning as if you're starving - your body wants to hold on to every calorie.” Molly Kimball, RD.

4. Move more all day. You can burn up to 350 extra calories daily - enough to shed more than 35 pounds this year - simply by pacing while you talk on the phone, getting up to talk to someone rather than e-mailing, and walking rather than driving for short errands.” James Levine, MD, PhD.

5. Dieting will drop your metabolism - as you lose weight there is less of you to maintain so your resting metabolic rate drops. The solution – eat consistent small meals and lift weights. Increase your muscle density and your metabolism will keep on kicking so you can keep on losing. 

6. At least once a week have a long cardio day. Exercising for sixty minutes could burn five times as many calories post-workout than thirty minutes.

7. Eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast weigh less than those who don’t. Also, add more protein - it's harder for your body to process, you can burn twice as many calories digesting protein as carbs.

8. Avoid stress. “Stress can actually cause weight gain, particularly around the tummy,” says Shari Lieberman author of Dare to Lose. Stress increases cortisol which slows metabolism.

9. Include interval training two to three days a week. High intensity exercise burns more calories during and after exercise. Some studies have shown women who did a twenty-minute interval workout lost five times as much weight as those who did a forty-minute steady-paced workout. Sorry friends. I know the interval workouts are tough, but they are worth the pain.

10. Sleep. Oh, I like this one. “Research shows that people who don’t sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain. Additionally, we now know that lean muscle is regenerated in the final couple of hours of sleep each night.” Julie Beyer, RD

Sources:

“The Ultimate Over-40 Fat Fighter!” by Selene Yeager - Prevention Magazine 

“Boosting Metabolism: 10 Tips That Work” by Susan Woodward for MSN Health & Fitness

“Make the Most of Your Metabolism” by Colette Bouchez

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature - http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/make-most-your-metabolism

All or Nothing

I've worked with a lot of people who are either on or off. They are either on their diet and exercising hard every day or they are off with very frustrating results.
I think too often we get caught up in thinking, I didn't make it to the gym today or I ate a cookie (or two or three) and all my weight loss or healthy living plans are done. This becomes especially hard during the holidays when we're too busy to exercise and there is so much good food around. I find myself thinking, I'll worry about it in January!
But living healthy is not an all or nothing propisition. It's possible to be healthy (and meet those weight loss goals) by just doing the best we can each day and making small changes that will add up to big results.
I always recommend just one small change a month. It can be something as simple as, drinking eight cups of water and cutting out one soda or scheduling three exercise sessions a week on the calendar (but not getting frustrated if we don't make it). As the months come and go and you keep adding a new healthy goal each month (and hopefully the previous months' goals have become a part of your lifestyle) you will see amazing results and not feel like you're completely changing your life or seeing the yo-yo effect of being all or nothing.
The most important thing is to not give up. Wake up each day excited to make healthy choices. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't perfectly healthy. Remember that we're not trying to lose seven pounds in a week or something ridiculous like that. We're making smart, healthy choices that will help us to feel good and look good for a lifetime.