Weekend Warrior Workout #2
The weekend is here, maybe it’s been a long week and you are just ready to kick back and relax, maybe is another busy weekend full of kids activities, or maybe you need to catch up on some work around the house.
Whatever your weekend may look like, it’s not an excuse to skip a workout.
This week we another quick 20 minute one for you.
What you need:
- Two Kettlebells of different weights
- A Chin Up Bar
How to do it:
- Start with a 5-minute warm-up.
- Do 10-12 reps of each exercises (except for Chin Ups do 3-6 reps)
- Take a short break, and repeat for 3-6 rounds
Now go enjoy your weekend!
Don’t End Up Like Santa
Will you gain another ten pounds this holiday season?
Not if you do the following…
Set a workout goal. You may not be able to hit the gym as often as normal, but that is not an excuse to skip it for a month. Make it your goal to get in two workouts per week to maintain your progress, if you currently do not workout out start by taking a short walk each day.
Eat before heading out to parties. Going hungry will result in binging on wings, chips, and cookies that you would not normally eat.
Limited your lattes. Stop justifying your daily Venti Peppermint Mocha Latte as a seasonal treat when in reality you are addicted to these and justify them year round.
De-stress with a walk, not a bottle of wine. You may be stressed and drinking to relax may help you feel better now, but the extra weight gained will cause a new stress.
If you blow it today get over it and move on. One or two days of bad eating or a missed workout is not going derail you, but a month of poor choices will leave you with extra work to do in January.
Change your choices today so you don’t start 2018 ten pounds heavier.
If you are interested in giving your fitness kickstart, get started TODAY with a 21-Day Fitness Kick Start for ONLY $67!! Click the image below for more information…
Related Articles:
Get More From Less
While only a small percentage of the population workouts regularly, something like 18%, many of those who do are doing too much.
Three to four days per week is optimal. I’ve even seen clients who only workout two days per week get amazing results. Of course food is always the big determining factor of the results someone gets.
Now, what gets interesting is those who workout more than the recommended 3 to 4 days is that they don’t get any better results. Those extra days don’t add anything to them. In many cases it breaks their bodies down and causes them to have aches, pains, and injuries. We forget that exercise is a stress, stress causes oxidization in the body, and too much oxidation causes the body to age – whether its with aches and pains, or appearance. (That is probably not the technical scientific explaination, but ultimately is what is happens. That’s why we’re coaches and not scientists.)
Yes, I know some believe that they are getting great results by working out every day, but you have to ask how much stronger, leaner, faster, whatever the goal is they would be if they gave themselves more time to recover.
This doesn’t mean you have to sit around for three or four days a week. That is never recommended, but what about getting outside for a walk, doing a mobility circuit with soft tissue work, biking, climbing, kayaking, skiing, pick up basketball, tennis, really anything other than another hard workout in the gym.
If you want to go to the gym every day we recommend at PNF to do three strength workouts each week. After those three workouts maybe do a circuit workout in a Cardio Power, Strength Revolution, or Boxing Bootcamp session. But, here is the trick and often missed part – go easy! That means no heavy weight, keep you heart rate no higher than the 70’s, and just focus on getting in some little movement in those additional workouts.
To get the best results in the gym you need to take your foot off the gas a few days per week.
Related Articles:
If you would like help with your fitness and to get a plan in place for your goals, get started with our 21-Day Fitness Kickstart. Click the image below for more details…
Recipe of the Week – Dark Chocolate Almond Truffles
Sometimes you just crave something sweet. Satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious Dark Chocolate Almond Truffles.
What You Need:
- 14 Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (70g) Diamond of California whole almonds
- 1/2 cup (70g) sunflower seeds (I use salted)
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet or bittersweet quality chocolate
How To Make Them:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Place pitted dates, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, almonds, sunflower seeds, and salt (if using) into your food processor. Blend/pulse until a moist dough forms, as pictured above. This will take a minute or two of blending. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add 1-2 more soaked dates or even a teaspoon of pure maple syrup.
- Once dough is formed, scoop out 1 Tablespoon of dough. Roll into a smooth ball and place onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Set aside as you melt the chocolate in the next step.
- You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. I like to use a liquid measuring cup. Its depth makes it easy for dipping. Melt in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool before dipping.
- Dip each ball completely into the chocolate using a dipping tool. When lifting it out of the chocolate, remember to tap the dipping tool gently on the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place each back on the baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate has set, about 30 minutes.
- Make ahead tip: Cover truffles tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze these truffles, too! Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
*Recipe Source: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/02/12/healthy-dark-chocolate-almond-truffles/
For more “Recipes of the Week” click the image below…
Recipe of the Week – Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters
Treat your holiday guests to these delicious little chocolate clusters. They’re sure to be the hit of the party!
What You Need:
- 2 cups (280g) Diamond of California whole almonds
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped1
- sea salt
- turbinado sugar (or any coarse/raw sugar)
How To Make Them:
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread almonds out in a single layer and toast for 10-12 minutes, stirring once during that time. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or (carefully!) use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can temper the chocolate. If tempering, do not store finished nuts in the refrigerator.
- Stir the almonds into the chocolate, making sure to coat each one. Spoon clusters onto a lined baking sheet, as large or small as you’d like. My clusters had about 10-12 almonds each in them. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and turbinado sugar, then allow chocolate to completely set. I placed the baking sheet in the refrigerator to speed it up!
- Store chocolate covered almonds in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks
*Recipe Source:https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2016/03/01/sea-salt-dark-chocolate-almond-clusters/
For more “Recipes of the Week” click the image below…
Holiday Fitness Survival Tips
The holiday season is here once again! For many this time of year is full of enjoyment, family get togethers, Christmas Parties, holiday shopping, and yes stress!
This all works to create the perfect storm for the dreaded holiday weight gain. Many will plan to set their New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight and get into shape, but unfortunately many will gain 5-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year. So when January finally rolls around there are additional pounds to work off.
But, this is doesn’t have to happen to you!
All you have to do is follow our “Holiday Survival” tips and you will start the New Year in the same size pants and your belt in the same hole. Heck, you might even start 2018 in better shape with these tips!
1 . Set a workout goal.
It is easy this time of the year to skip workouts or even stop working out altogether. After all, friends and family are visiting from out of town that you haven’t seen since last year. Somehow you’ve ended up hung-over again from drinking too much at the most recent Christmas Party. All of which makes it easy to miss your regular workouts and just say the heck with it until January.
But, do you really want to have to start all over again in a month? Do you want to be sore after each workout again and lose all that toned muscle that you have worked so hard for to a layer of pudge?
We didn’t think so.
That is why it is important to set a workout goal for the next six weeks.
Maybe you typically get in three to four workouts each week. Awesome! But, it may make sense for you to cut back to two per week until January. So let’s set the goal of getting in eight workouts between now and January 2nd.
Sound doable?
Great!
It doesn’t matter how you get in these eight workouts. It could be two this week, four the following week, and one the week after. You’re still on track, actually one ahead.
Focus on maintaining your fitness over these next four weeks and you’ll survive the holidays without losing all of your hard work.
2. Survive the holiday parties.
Over the next few weeks you will more than likely have your share of Christmas parties to attend. Some you may be looking forward to and catching up with old friends, while others you may be attending more out of obligation.
So how do you keep your nutrition in check and your belt buckle in the same notch?
Simple really. You just need a plan.
Which parties do you want to really indulge at, let your hair down, and just kickback and have a good time?
At those let yourself have a few drinks with your friends. If there are appetizers “to die for”, treat yourself and enjoy them. As for the other obligatory parties sip a scotch or nurse a beer or two through out the night. And then make an early exit.
Never show up hungry to a party. Sure it’s easier to just eat when you get there. But will that be the best and healthiest option? Probably not, and you will end up eating stuff you normally wouldn’t. Eating a healthy meal before will ensure that you don’t gorge yourself on fried and sugary foods along with preventing you from mindlessly munching throughout the night.
Use the smallest plates available. Research has shown that eating a full plate results in a feeling of satisfied hunger, regardless of the size of the plate. So filling a smaller plate will result in eating less, but still experiencing the same satisfaction.
Don’t make it a late night. To prevent weight gain you need to get your sleep. Set a time that you plan to leave and stick to it. This way you won’t wake up the next morning regretting the “just one more beer” that you had three times and only four hours of sleep.
3. Workout effectively.
Time is an issue more than ever during the holidays so you need to get the most bang for your buck when working out.
Research has shown that over a 12-week period weight training resulted in 6 pounds more fat loss that aerobic training. This is due the increased metabolic demand of weight training that keeps you burning calories for hours longer than going for a jog.
So hit the weights for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week for the most effective workouts.
4. Start Now.
Stop procrastinating. Stop making excuses. Just get started.
Yes, it is crazy this time of the year. But, you need to take care of yourself. Stop telling yourself that you will get back to the gym in January and that you just have to get through the holidays. All that is going to do is add ten pounds you will need to lose all over again. It only takes exercising 2x per week for 45 minutes per week to maintain your weight when paired with good eating.
If you are planning on starting in January, start now!
Even though you are busy, starting a fitness program now a couple times a week will prevent that extra weight gain. Think about how much better you will feel when you wake up January 1st and have already lost a few pounds because you already started your journey.
It does not take much to keep up with your workouts or get started.
Keep up by making it a priority to get in two workouts each week.
Is that doable?
You bet.
Get started by taking a walk each day and maybe a couple sets of push-ups and squats with bodyweight.
Doable?
Absolutely.
Stop procrastinating and just get started. Stop making excuses about why you can’t workout right now and just commit to a couple short workouts each week.
This is a fun and festive time of the year. Stick to the tips above and you will make it through to January.
Get started TODAY on your fitness journey with a 21-Day Fitness Kick Start for only $67! Click the image below to learn more…
Related Articles: