Holiday Survival Guide Part 4 – Why Are You Waiting Until January?

Stop Procrastinating

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.

If you are waiting to start exercising in January, stop waiting and get started today. Think about how much better you will feel when you wake up January 1st and have already lost a few pounds by already having started your journey. Compared to having to start then at day one.

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. Do able? Absolutely. If you are able to get in a couple sets of push ups and squats with bodyweight a few times a week that is bonus.

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.

Get started and do not stop. In January you will be glad you did.

For more information check us out here:
https://pittsburghnorthfitness.leadpages.co/30-day-trial-membership/

PNF Hotel Workout

hotel-workout

Traveling and need to get in an awesome workout, but stuck with a crappy hotel gym? No worries, we’ve got you covered.

Find a set of stairs or stairwell and get it done with this short, simple, and effective workout.

At the bottom of the stairs do 25 Push Ups.

Sprint to the top and do 25 Bodyweight Squats.

Walk back to the bottom and repeat five times.

Holiday Survival Workout

shutterstock_431216617

Whether you are traveling for work, or with family, you can still keep up with your fitness with this simple bodyweight workout.

Round #1
Bodyweight Squat 25 reps
Dolphin Plank 25 reps
World’s Greatest Stretch 30s each side
Repeat 3x

Round #2
Mountain Climbers 25 each side
Push Ups 10-25 reps
Wave Squat 10 reps
Repeat 3x

Round #3
Alternating Reverse Lunge 15 reps each side
Side Plank with Hip Drop 15 reps each side
1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Rainbow 10 reps each side

Round #4
Bear Crawl Square 1-2 Minutes
(Crawl two steps forward, two step left, two steps back, two steps right, repeat in opposite direction, continue for allotted time.)

Why An Hour?

Do you really need an hour to get an effective workout?

Do you really need an hour to get an effective workout?

At PNF we get asked all the time why our sessions are only 45-50 minutes, rather than an hour?

Short Answer: Because it only takes that long to get an effective workout.

Slightly Longer Answer: An hour session is really just an old school training method that was started because of scheduling. It was easy to schedule clients on the hour, so we trained them for an hour. No scientific reason or benefit behind it. Just simple scheduling.

In fact, we used used to be like everyone else and did hour sessions. However, we were always finding ourselves with 10-15 minutes of time to fill. We got everything done that was needed. The clients were getting amazing results. But, the designed workouts were always 10-15 minutes short of an hour. So we’d add some stuff on the fly – real scientific huh? Then, we got to thinking. If we get everything in in under an hour, and the clients are seeing great results, why don’t we just start building our sessions on a 45-50 minute block of time? So we did and now our coaches get a few minutes gather their thoughts befor the next workout, talk with members, eat something, and take a bathroom break. And our members get the same results, actually better, in less time and can use that time to get other things done.

If you can get the same, or better, results in less time, why are you doing more?

More is not better, it is just more.

Recipe of the Week – Southern-Style Collard Greens

Recipe of the Week - Southern Style Collard Greens

Add this delicious recipe for Southern-Style Collard Greens as a side at your holiday dinner party.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound collard greens, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and butter. Saute the onions until slightly softened, about 2 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes and garlic, cook another minute. Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender, about 40 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Per Serving
Calories 122
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 2g
Protein 4g
Carbohydrates 14g
Sugar 5g

Source: Food Network recipe by Sunny Anderson
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe.html

Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Office Party

Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 - Surviving the Holiday Party

Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Holiday Party

How to survive the office holiday party.

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 may be more out of obligation.

So how do you keep your nutrition in check and your belt buckle at the same notch?

Simple really. You just need a plan.

#1. Which parties do you want to really indulge at, let your hair down, and just kick back and have a good time? At those let yourself have a few drinks with your friends. If there are appetizers “to die for”. Treat your self 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.

#2. Never show up hungry. 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 your from mindlessly munching throughout the night.

#3. 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.

#4. Don’t make it a late night. To prevent weight gain you need to get your sleep, more on this in Part 4, but for now 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.

This is a fun, festive time of the year. Stick to the rules above and you will make it through to January still wearing the same size pants.

Another Depressing Trip To The Mall?

shutterstock_126762269

Another depressing trip to the mall?

An afternoon shopping spree used to be one of your favorite indulgences. Now it has become a dreaded chore. You like having nice clothes, but lately it just seems like nothing ever fits quite right and you end up leaving feeling horrible. You know that getting back to a regular fitness routine will get your clothes fitting the way they used to, but where do you start?

You could try yet another diet, but are you really going to count points for the rest of your life. You could join a gym, but everyone there is already in shape and there will be that “mean girls” club of fit “regulars” who flaunt themselves and judge everyone else by appearance and performance. Plus, what would you do? There are those new kettlebell thingy’s you could try, but they look dangerous. The treadmill is boring and cycling makes your butt hurt for days. You want to make a change but where do you turn?

Why not hire a coach that will be in your corner? Not all gyms are your stereotypical gym with the barely dressed fit people. There ARE nutrition plans that are sustainable. There ARE gyms out there that will make you feel comfortable, provide you with guidance and within a few weeks will have you feeling better about yourself than you have in years.

That type of place is Pittsburgh North Fitness. There are no judgments here. PNF has coaches here to guide you each step of the way, and will provide you with sustainable healthy eating habits for life.

Let us help you change your life!

Five Pillars of Fitness

5 Pillars of Fitness

5 Pillars of Fitness

There is no right or wrong way to develop a fitness program. And one way is not better than another. However, there are some common threads that need to be in every program to create change. The following are five components should be included in every fitness program. If they aren’t already start incorporating them today.

Pillar #1: Get Off The Treadmill.

Most of the clients work with have spent the majority of their fitness lives doing nothing but cardio and are coming to us because their go-to cardio routine is no longer working. Their body has become accustomed to cardio and does not
respond to it anymore. For others their body will just no longer tolerate it and they are beginning to experience aches and pains. Whatever the case may be their
body has changed. And this means the plan of attack must change.

By changing the focus of the workout to strength training you will be able to provide a new stimulus to your body and also work around any injury issues you may be experiencing.

We have heard from many leery clients that they are hesitant to move away from
their old tried and true cardio routine to a strength training routine due to the follow misconceptions.

#1. Fear of bulking up.
#2. Fear of not getting in any cardio with a strength-training program.

The fear of bulking up and looking like one of the women on TV at the Crossfit games is very common among our female clients and is a legitimate concern. If this is your goal we can certainly help. But, we have found that the majority of our female clients are just looking to tone up and gain a little definition so that they feel better about themselves. We achieve this through prescribing fitness programs that will not add unwanted bulk, but rather toned lean muscle.

As for not getting in any cardio. We program each workout to keep you moving through circuits of exercises that keep you moving and increase your heart rate.

Pillar #2: Always Train The Backside.

We are a society of sitters and spend most of our day in a seated position with poor
posture. This poor posture leads to back and neck pain as a result of weak upper
back muscles, weak glutes, and tight hamstrings.

This means we need to train this muscles on the backside to help restore proper posture. The primary focus should be on the muscles of the upper back with exercises such as the TRX Row and the glutes with the kettlebell swing.

Pillar #3: Build Work Capacity.

Looking good is one thing, but having useful muscle and strength is what will
make the biggest impact on your body and life.

We’ve all seen the athlete who looks great with his shirt off, but when he gets on the field he can’t play. The same thing happens with many gym goers. Each week they run a few miles on the treadmill, do a few sets of the circuit machines and maybe do a few exercises with light dumbbells. But yet they still get winded when carrying a suitcase up a few flights of stairs, or hurt their back when moving furniture.

The problem is that while they workout regularly they are not building work capacity. This is the ability to perform physical work over an extended period of time without getting tired or hurt.

The fastest route to improving this is through loaded carries, like the farmers walk, bear hug carries with a sandbag or heavy bag, and sled pushes. Using noncompeting compound sets and kettlebell and barbell complexes in each workout is also an effective way to bring up work capacity.

Pillar #4: Total Body Movement.

The body works as one unit, not as separate groups of muscles. Therefore,
it should be trained as one unit.

Using multi-joint movements, like the deadlift, squat, overhead press, the pull-up, lunges, and loaded carries, you will create a higher metabolic response in the body than if you only focused on isolation exercises. Including these movements in every workout is what will make great fitness program.

Additionally, you will also build a body that is functional in everyday activities and has a higher injury resistance.

Pillar #5: Train Like An Athlete.

While you may never have any aspirations of competing in an athletic event
this does not mean you shouldn’t train like one. The human body was
designed as an athletic machine and should be trained this way in every workout. This means getting up on two feet, jumping, sprinting, moving laterally, and moving quickly at some point in every workout. The only difference between you and an athlete is in the level of the movement performed.

There you have it, five pillars to start incorporating into your regular workouts.

Recipe of the Week – Autumn Pork Tenderloin

autumn-pork-tenderloin

Autumn Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Sized right for two, this rustic and comforting entree is treated to a combination of apples, raisins and nuts.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 5 min. + marinating Bake: 40 min. YIELD:2 servings

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 pound)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup apple pie filling
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Rub salt and pepper over pork. Place in a large resealable plastic bag; add apple juice. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Drain and discard apple juice. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the pie filling, raisins, pecans and cinnamon; spoon over pork.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160° Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Yield: 2 servings.

Source: Taste of Home
href=”http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/autumn-pork-tenderloin”>

Holiday Survival Guide – Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

Holiday Survival Guide - Part 2 - Set A Workout Goal

Holiday Survival Guide – Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

Holiday Survival Guide: Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

It is easy this time of the year to skip your workouts. Friends and family are visiting from out of town that you have plans with. You are hung-over from drinking too much, yet again, at the night before’s 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? 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 great 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 twelve workouts between now and January 2nd. Sound doable? Great!

It doesn’t matter how you get in these twelve 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 six weeks and you’ll survive the holidays without losing all your hard work.