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Fitness comes down to habits.
Working out and eating clean are habits.
The more you workout and the cleaner you eat the more likely you are to continue to do so.
Now, this won’t happen overnight and you will fall off the wagon from time to time. That is completely normal, just pick yourself back up and start again where you left off.
We recommend only changing one or two habits at a time, rather than making a complete overhaul to your lifestyle. Once you conquer one habit, add another to start working on. Overtime these will all add up and with each one you will make more and more progress.
Fitness is all about habits.
Need help making fitness a habit? Click the image below for a 21-Day Kick Start…
Weekend Warrior Workout…
This week we bring you one of our Cardio Power workouts straight from the gym. That’s right this is one of the exact same workouts we use with our clients in our Cardio Power Sessions.
Here is how it works:
Perform 10 minutes of each round.
Round #1
Rower – 150 meter
Double Kettlebell Hold – time of row
Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.
Round #2
Push Ups – 10 Reps
Bodyweight Squats – 10 Reps
Farmers Carry – 50 yards
Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.
Round #3
Wall Balls – 10 Reps
Front Plank – 60 Seconds
Band Leg Press – 10 Reps
Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
This week we bring you a heart pounding metabolic workout.
Here is how you do it:
Enjoy!
Weekend Warrior Workout…
Planning to hit the gym over the weekend, but not sure what to do?
We’ve got you covered with this weeks “Weekend Warrior Workout”
How to do it:
Complete all sets of Group A, followed by all sets of Group B, then Group C, and finally Group D. Rest 30 seconds after each set fro Group A. Perform Group B and C as supersets, with a minute break after each set. And for Group D perform one set continuously for two minutes.
Group A
V-Sit and Reach with Mini Band, 3×10 each
Group B
Single Leg Deadlift, 3×12 each
Dumbbell Push Press, 3×12
Group C
Goblet Squat with Curl, 3×12
TRX Row, 3×12
Group D
Board Beast Sit Through, 1×2 minutes
Enjoy!
Whether you’re on the road in a hotel, had a busy day, or just want to get in a quick workout this is one of our favorite go to’s at PNF.
It only takes ten minutes and gets your whole body.
Here is how it works:
Enjoy!
Not able to make it to the gym this weekend?
No problem. We’ve got you covered.
All you need is a pair of Valslides and you can get in a great total-body workout in the comforts of your living room or hotel room.
Here is how you do it:
Enjoy!
Weekend Warrior Workout…
Better workouts and better results come through better recovery.
While this weeks “Weekend Warrior Workout” isn’t a workout, it will help you get stronger, feel better, and have less stiffness and muscle soreness.
It’s not always what we do in the workouts that makes the biggest difference, it’s what we do outside of our time in the gym that really counts.
While nutrition and proper sleep are important for recovery, just as you cannot workout hard every day and get the best results.
The following is a five minute recovery routine that we have found works great when done before going to bed each night.
Here is what you need:
Here is how you do it:
Enjoy!
Is it possible that a lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep, could be negatively affecting your weight loss goals? Or even making you fat?
According to recent research this seems to be exactly the case.
At the University of Chicago’s General Clinical Resource Center researchers followed 10 overweight, but healthy participants aged 35-49 who according to body mass index were considered overweight. The participants were given an individualized balanced diet that reduced their calories by 10% of what was needed to maintain their weight without exercise (roughly 1,450 calories per day).
Each participant was studied twice: the first time studied participants slept on average 7.5 hours over a fourteen day period, the second time for only 5.5 hours over a fourteen day period.
The researchers found that when sleeping less it reduced the participants fat loss by 55%. It was also found, that when participants got adequate sleep their ghrelin levels were lower. (High ghrelin levels reduce energy expenditure, increase hunger and promote fat retention.)
In conjunction with Stanford University the University of Chicago went a step further by looking at the leptin (leptin sends a signal to your brain to tell you when you are full) and ghrelin levels in 12 healthy men after being subjected to two days of adequate sleep and two days of sleep deprivation. They found that when sleep was restricted leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up. Thus, resulting in increased appetites and an inability to get full. They also found that the participants had an increased craving for high carbohydrate, calorie dense food.
Finally, Standard and the University of Wisconsin then took this even a step farther. They had 1,000 volunteers report the number of hours they slept each night. Then measured their leptin and ghrelin levels and charted their weight. Not surprisingly they found that those who slept less had lower leptin levels, higher ghrelin levels, weighed more, and had a higher level of body fat.
If you’ve been dieting and exercising, but having trouble losing weight, check your sleep. We each need between 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Even if you sleep less and don’t think you need it you probably do. Many of us have become accustomed to functioning with sleep deprivation that we no longer remember what it feels like to be fully rested. Sometimes we just don’t know how bad we felt until we feel good again.
Ask yourself, “When was the last time you got a solid eight hours? When was the last time that happened regularly?”
During the hours spent asleep is when all the good stuff happens in your body. Cells repair and regenerate. Hormones function better and regulare. Aches and pains lessen with adequate sleep. And changes in the body’s appearance happen easier.
This is not to say that sleep is the entire answer, but it could be a missing link and the reason you are not getting the results you are looking for.
Not everyone has an easy time sleeping or staying asleep. But there some things you can do to help improve the quality of the sleep you get.
#1. Allow yourself the opportunity to get a full 8 hours and go to bed and wake up at the same time each night.
#2. The hours spent asleep before midnight seem to make a bigger difference than the hours spent asleep after midnight.
#3. Put down the iPad, iPhone, and shut off the TV at least a half hour before you go to bed. The light from these devices stimulates the brain and triggers a wake up response. If you need something to do to relax before bed, read a book, write in a gratitude journal, or take a hot bath.
#4. Do not eat and then immediately go to bed.
#5. Keep your bedroom cool. 68 degrees seems to be the sweet spot.
#6. Keep your room quiet and dark, free of artificial light.
#7. Avoid alcohol before going to bed.
#8. Cut back on caffeine.
#9. There is no research on this, but numerous people seem to sleep better when they take their daily fish oil before going to bed.
#10. Take five minutes to foam roll and stretch before going to bed.
Everyone can run on less sleep for a while, but it will catch up to you eventually and take a toll on your physical health.
Some signs of sleep deprivation are:
#1. Waking up tired.
#2. Increased irritability.
#3. Having trouble concentrating.
#4. Forgetfulness.
#5. Decline in job performance.
#6. Sleeping through your alarm.
#7. Making poor decisions.
#8. Lack of motivation.
#9. Stiff and achey joints.
#10. Frequently sick or not feeling well.
#11. You are not recovering as quickly from your workouts.
#12. Your strength is decreasing.
#13. Your gaining fat and losing muscle.
Get your sleep! It will make a difference in the person you are.
At some point in time we will all struggle with our fitness and seeing the results we are looking for. And other times everything will be going well just as planned, but we still want to optimize our efforts.
Focusing on clean eating and getting in three workouts is a big part to being successful with fitness and weight loss, but sometimes is the little things that make big differences.
The following five “Fitness Hacks” can not only help you break out of a plateau, they can also take your game to the next level when everything is going well.
#1. Sleep.
Without 7-8 hours of sleep each night it is impossible for your body to function at it’s highest level. It is during this time asleep that your body’s hormones regulate and the bodies tissues can repair and regenerate themselves.
When you are sleep deprived you body will have increased cravings for sugar and simple carbs. The reason for this is because your body is low on energy and the sugar will provide a quick boost. The downside is that this boost doesn’t last long and you will need another hit of sugar to keep going.
Many times those who claim to have a “sweet tooth” will find that this sweet tooth decreases if they get adequate sleep.
Additionally, spending most days sleep deprived is a stressor on your body that causes increases in cortisol levels. When this happens your body does not process fat properly and tends to store more fat on the body.
So here is how to get good nights sleep.
#2. Practice Good Recovery Techniques
You cannot push your body day in and day out without it breaking down.
This means you only need three to four good workouts per week. More than this and your body breaks down over time. Sure you may feel fine for a few weeks or a few months of working out everyday, but eventually the body will break. It may start just as an occasionally achy joint or back, or you may find that you are feeling slightly less energetic, or begin to see a decrease in strength. These are all the beginnings of physical breakdown.
The good news is this can all be avoided with a few simple techniques.
#3. Fuel Your Results
Freakin’ eat already.
Why is everyone afraid of food?
Only in America where we have an abundance of everything would practicing starvation and having doctor’s recommending starvation to lose weight. If starvation is not good for third world countries or people living on the streets in America, why is it good for those living well off?
Starvation is categorized as a daily caloric intake below 1,200 calories per day and is considered dangerously low once below 800 calories per day. While this will produce quick results, it also slows the metabolism to a halt in order for your body to survive. Being that all of our metabolisms slow as we age, actively slowly it is not the solution. Sure you can take pills to “boost” the metabolism, but your body will learn to lean on these instead of itself to keep the metabolism going. In the end when you begin eating normally again all of the weight will come back and in many cases body fat percentages will increase due to the loss in muscle tissue. This all leads to a less efficient metabolism.
So what is the answer?
Eat clean, real food and stop eating processed garbage and drinking yourself into oblivion on the weekends.
Clean food with proper portion sizes never fails.
#4. Eat 80/20
We’ve all heard of the 80/20 Rule.
In fact many of us may claim to even practice it. But do we really?
Here is how to check. Add up all of your weekly calories in two columns “good” and “bad”.
Does the “good” make up 80% of the total calories?
If not, you’re not practicing 80/20. Your practicing something else, maybe 60/40 or whatever number you got.
The reason this happens so easily is because we can eat clean all weekend and then blow it on the weekend by going over 20% with a few drinks and other treats due to the high calorie content of these foods.
#5. Make Time To Decompress
You need to time to just sit quietly each day and reflect. This helps you body relax and lowers stress. It doesn’t have to be long maybe only 10-15 minutes each day, but you need some time with no kids, no spouse, maybe the dog, and no devices. Just you.
If you can do this outside even better, this can be done with a walk or sitting on the patio. It can be down with a hot bath or shower, or through meditation. It doesn’t matter how you get it, your body just needs a little time each day for quiet reflection and stillness.
Give some of these or all of these a try and see how they impact your body in a positive way.