We all just enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast and in one month, we’ll be back at it during the Christmas and New Year’s dinner, get-togethers and parties. It’s easy to see why Americans gain so much weight during this time of year. The holidays can be a stressful time trying to keep up with the endless responsibilities from getting your holiday cards out, baking, cooking for friends and family, decorating the house inside and out, shopping for the perfect gifts for your loved ones and attending every social party and get-together! It’s no wonder workouts tend to get pushed to the back burner. Add in all the temptations and indulgences and the weight easily creeps up.
Here’s a list of action steps to keep your health and fitness a priority and help avoid the typical holiday weight gain.
Read more on Fitness In Between The Feasts…
Summers can be so busy with vacations, travel, sports’ clinics and camps, camping, and more. This makes it difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.
Here’s some ideas for summers on the go:
Read more on Summer Nutrition…
We just finished a 12-week series that included cardio, muscle, nutrition and lifestyle tips to get you in great shape for summer. We are one month away from the start of summer so you’ve got 4 weeks to ramp it up and get ripped. Today, you’ll get 10 Quick-Fix Hacks for really toning and leaning up right in time for the beach.
Read more on Get Ripped for Summer…
You did it! Can you believe we’re at Week 12?! But remember with fitness, you can’t start and stop. In order to maintain results and health and fitness benefits, it’s a forever thing!
Change Things Up:
This week, change around the sequence or order that you are performing your exercises. For example, if you always do your cardio first, this week, do it after your muscle conditioning. Or if you do cardio and muscle conditioning on alternate days, this week try doing both cardio and muscle on the same day. If you have been doing your resistance exercises in the following order; Legs, Upper Body, Core – this week, try doing all your leg exercises first, then your upper body exercises next and finish with your core. By altering your workout sequence, the stimulus to your muscles will be very different and it will feel like a completely different workout.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Twelve…
“People often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” Mohandas Gandhi
We have two weeks left to our Spring Into Shape For Summer Program. But there is NO finish line with fitness so this is just a beginning to your Best Life!
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Eleven…
“W
hat you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals”.- Zig Ziglar
We’re honing in on the finish line of our Spring into Shape for Summer Program. But remember with fitness there is NEVER a finish line. Two weeks left to take everything to the next level. And just as the quote says above – taking the time to do the things necessary to be your best, says a lot about you as a person! So stick with it no matter what!
Cardio
This week, try hill training. It will develop your strength, power and overall fitness. If part of your program includes walking, running, or cycling, find a short hill (about 100 meters long) and perform 5-10 hill repeats once this week.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Ten…
We’ve been at this for 2 months now and you should be in better shape and experiencing improved fitness, strength and energy! If you haven’t started yet, go back through prior weeks and start today. You deserve to look and feel your best!
Cardio
Continue what we’ve been focusing on and this week, add 1-2 really long, low intensity workouts. This type of training will really develop your aerobic fitness. For example, go for an hour plus walk, hike or bike ride.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Nine…
“Personal success is never static. It usually comes in small steps leading to other small steps that lead to broader achievement” W. Roberts
Past blogs in this series
Cardiovascular Conditioning
This week incorporate a cardio-split workout once or twice. This means that you workout twice in one day. So you could, say, get up and go for a power-walk and then later in the evening, go for a bike ride or take a fitness class. This will rev your metabolism and really stimulate great results.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Eight…
“Do not be afraid to demand great things of yourself. Powers which you never dreamed you possessed will leap to your assistance…” O. Marden
Previous Weeks In This Series
Cardiovascular Conditioning:
This week make a commitment to be more active in your life. The International Journal of Obesity released a stat that estimated we expend approximately 500-800 calories less per day than we did a few decades ago based on our sedentary lifestyles. So commit to taking the stairs, walking or cycling to do errands or parking a few blocks from your destination.
Read more on Spring Into Shape for Summer – Week Seven…
We’ve been getting some nice signs that summer is on the way! It’s a good time to reassess your goals, monitor your progress and determine if you’re on track. If you are, great job. If not, don’t stress about it – just recommit today.
Previous Blogs in This Series
Cardiovascular Conditioning
This week we incorporate cross-training into your workout. If you’ve been walking to get fit, this week we’d like you to see if you can also include another form of cardio training such as cycling or swimming or fitness classes. Make sure your weekly cardio training includes 2-3 different types of exercise instead on only one form.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Six…
