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.
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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.
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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.
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Weekend Warrior Workout #1
Grab a kettlebell and get after it with this simple workout.
How to do it:
- Right Arm Farmer’s Walk – 25 yards
- Kettlebell Swing – 10 reps
- Left Arm Farmer’s Walk – 25 yards
- Overhead Press – 10 reps each
- Right Arm Farmer’s Walk – 25 yards
- Goblet Squat – 10 reps
- Left Arm Farmer’s Walk – 25 yards
- Kettlebell Row – 10 reps each
- Rest 60-120 seconds and repeat for 4 rounds.
Enjoy!
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Eat Clean 80% Of The Time
You may not be eating as well as you think.
Sure Monday through Friday you may do well. But, then Friday night hits. You go out for dinner and order the grilled salmon with steamed veggies and skip the bread. But, you have dessert and a bottle of wine.
Or maybe on Saturday you feel that it would be nice to make your kids a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon. You tell yourself it’s okay because “it’s for the kids” and you’ll only have a little.
Then there is that stressful day that just needs unwound with a few drinks or a bowl of ice cream.
These are the small things that by themselves are perfectly fine, but added up can wreck your progress. To get results in the gym it takes eating clean 80% of the time. For most, it ends up only being 60-70% clean.
So what does 80% look like? Or better yet, what does the 20% look like?
To stay at 80% or above means you can have roughly 3-4 cheats per week. Every alcoholic drink that is a cheat. Every dessert that’s a cheat. Every piece of chocolate or candy another cheat. Fried and processed foods, a cheat again. Chips and salsa, you get the point.
Here’s an easy way to determine if you actually ate clean 80% of the time. Take a sheet and paper and make two columns. In column one write down all of your weeks “good” food choices and their calories, then in the second column write down all of your “bad” food choices and their calories. Now total the calories in each column. Then add those two numbers together. Finally divide the bad calories by the total calories of each column. If the number you get is less than 20% you did good if not, then you didn’t adhere to the 80/20 Rule.
Eating clean is the missing link to getting results. And many times what we think is clean eating isn’t clean enough.
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Need help with your nutrition? Schedule an appointment with our Certified Precision Nutrition Coach TODAY!! Click the image below for more details…
7 Habits of Clean Eating
You’ve probably heard before that results start in the kitchen and you will never be able to out exercise bad nutrition. This is true. It is simply too easy to consume calories faster than you can burn them. In order to lose body fat you need to make some changes to your daily nutrition, by incorporating the “7 Habits of Clean Eating”.
Nutrition is easy, everyone knows what he or she should and shouldn’t eat. Applying it is the hard part.
By incorporating the following ” 7 Habits of Clean Eating” you’ll be on your way to making better nutritional choices and changing your body.
Clean Eating Habit #1 – Reduce Processed Foods
“If it was made to sit on the shelf for years, if will sit on your butt, belly and hips just as long.” Your goal should be to eat as much real, whole, unprocessed food as possible. This means if it’s in a box or a wrapper it’s processed and not the best choice.
Clean Eating Habit #2 – You Can’t Change What You Don’t Track – Keep A Journal!
At PNF we’ve seen repeatedly that those who achieve the best results keep a daily food log. Some prefer paper and pencil; others prefer an app, such as “My Fitness Pal.” What you use doesn’t matter as long as you track it. Simple but effective!!
Clean Eating Habit #3 – Eat More Protein
Eating more protein will result in greater fat loss and muscle gain than a low protein diet. Protein, which is found in red meat, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy, contains essential amino acids that act as the building blocks of muscles. These are needed to rev up your metabolism and help you shed fat. This happens through the process of building muscle tissue, which requires your body to burn more calories. Also, when you have more muscle on your body, it gives you a toned and sculpted looked. Aim to eat about 1 gram for each pound of goal bodyweight.
If you are following a vegetarian diet, your total daily protein will be slightly lower and you should try to eat a variety of nuts, seeds, and beans each day, along with a plant based protein shake after your workouts.
Clean Eating Habit #4 – Eat More Veggies
Not only do vegetables contain numerous vitamins and minerals, as well as high amounts of fiber. They are also very low in calories. Eat as many veggies as you can each day. We also recommend 1-2 servings of fruit each day. This makes a great dessert without all the added sugar.
Clean Eating Habit #5 – Stop Drinking Calories
The number one way to gain weight is to drink calories. This means no soda, juice (even 100% juice drinks), sports drinks, and coffee drinks. The best options are water, green tea, coffee (no more than 5 cups per day), and other unsweetened teas. If you must have something in your coffee choosing either whole milk or full fat creamer is a healthier choice than skim or reduced calorie creamers. – See Habit #1.
But what about “diet” versions! The artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks trigger some of the same signals in your body as regular sugar and cause you to gain fat. The same can be said for artificial sweeteners such as Stevia, Sweet & Low, and Truvia.
And how about that nightly glass of wine? Wine, beer, liquor are a part of many people’s social lives and we don’t expect you to give them up all together. After all, we’d be hypocrites if we did, being that we are craft beer snobs at PNF. That being said we recommend keeping your total weekly drink to six or less. Now that doesn’t mean you should go out and buy bigger glasses, although we like how you think.
Clean Eating Habit #6 –Stop Eating Sugar
Pass on desserts, candy, cakes and ice cream. These foods all contain high amounts of sugar and very little nutritional value and are a great way to gain body fat. With that being said, we don’t expect you to never eat anything bad again. Are you going to eat pizza and then follow it with ice cream? Sure you are, you’re human. You just are not going to do this regularly. Instead you will save these things for your splurges, or little indulgences to enjoy the good things in life. All you have to do is keep the splurges to only 20% of your diet. That means that 80% of everything you eat and drink is a healthy choice that will improve your body. The other 20% is where you eat and drink the stuff you know you shouldn’t, but tastes amazing.
Clean Eating Habit #7 – Supplement for success
At PNF we are not big on supplements, but there are two that we find extremely helpful.
The first is a Post-Workout Recovery Shake. This is a shake that contains roughly 20 grams of protein (preferably whey protein because it is absorbed by the body better) and fruit puree. This natural sugar is beneficial to the body because it will replenish muscle glycogen stores that have been depleted during the workout. Also, post-workout is the one time that we always have control of our nutrition and the ability to get in good quality nutrition, during the rest on the day this is not always the case.
The second is fish oil. Fish Oil has numerous benefits including fighting inflammation and helping improving our body’s fat profiles. Our diets tend to be low in Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA specifically. So we like to supplement with these each day. Our recommended brand is Nordic Naturals as it is one of the highest quality fish oils available on the market.
There you have it 7 Habits of Clean Eating to help you feel better and build a better body.
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- A Cheat or Two Is Fine, An Entire Weekend Is Not
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Need help with your nutrition? Schedule an appointment with our Certified Precision Nutrition Coach TODAY!! Click the image below for more details…
Weekend Warrior Workout – November 3rd, 2017
For this weeks workout all you need is one kettlebell and a little determination to get it done.
How To Do It:
Round #1
10 Kettlebell Goblet Squats
10 Each Single Arm Kettlebell Rows
10 Each Mountain Climbers
Rest 60 Seconds, Repeat 3x
Round #2
10 Kettlebell Swings
10 Each Kettlebell Single Arm Push Presses
10 Reverse Crunches
Rest 60 Seconds, Repeat 3x
Finisher
Jumping Jacks 30 Seconds On, 30 Seconds Off
Enjoy!
Weekend Warrior Workout – November 10th, 2017
Weekend Warrior Workout…
This week we have a quick 20-minute workout for you that starts with a cardio burst and follows with two strength exercises.
What you need:
- Jump Rope
- Ultimate Sandbag
- TRX
Here is how it works:
- Perform three sets of Round #1 with no breaks.
- Rest 4 minutes
- Perform three sets of Round #2 with no breaks.
Enjoy!