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…Fitness Hacks!…

If you are like me, each day can be chaotic and full of activities from the time that I wake up until I jump into bed at nigh. There are always small things that can be done to help our busy lives run a little smoother.  This can be more helpful for those who say that “they are too busy” to workout or just have a bad habit of forgetting things that are needed to go workout (leading to another reason why people make excuses to get out of working out).

Throw out junk food

This is something that I help practice with my clients.  Is there a need for a jumbo box of Twinkies or king size package of candy bars?  Sure, your kids or significant other may enjoy these treats.  If there is no reason to have them at your house limit how many of these kinds of food you have around.  It will help by not tempting you to want to eat those things.   If you do have to have them at home try to keep them in a hard to reach place or have them hidden so you can not find them.  Until you can create your own will power to stay away from those things getting help from those around you can help you to become successful with reaching your health goals.

Have a box of food that you are trying to get out of your house? Instead of throwing it away consider donating it to a local school or food bank!

Is your favorite show on tonight? Watch it WHILE you workout

This is a trick that I personally use and I tell ALL of my clients to use.  If you have 1-3 shows that you watch each week plan your cardio time DURING those shoes. You can be on the cardio equipment and not miss your favorite episode.  It will also allow you to kill two birds with one stone!

Pack a bag

Each night before I go to bed I try to get everything ready for the next day.  This includes my workout clothes.  Getting them together allows me to double check that I have everything needed so I wont forget anything.  I will place my gym bag near the door so I will not forget it when I leave in the morning. I also keep a small “emergency fitness bag” in my trunk.  This bag has the following: ear buds (because I am always losing or forgetting mine at home), socks (you never know when you forget to grab some when you wear flip flops or tights to work), sports bra (I bought a spare sports bra and keep it in the bag because sometimes all of my workout clothes are in the washer/dryer and I need one), hair ties, and an empty water bottle. Make sure to add anything that you typically forget.

You can also follow this trip to save you space if you have to pack your gym clothes in a small bag or purse:

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Plan ahead!

Make sure to PLAN the days you want to workout AND what you want to do on those days.  Consider your workout time an important meeting that you have set with yourself.  If you have meetings for work or for other hobbies you are doing, do you plan your day/schedule around those meetings so you can attend them? Treat your gym session just as you would treat any other meeting you will schedule.

DRINK MORE WATER!

It is clear that most people are not drinking enough water. You want to make sure that you are allowing your body to get the hydration it needs! Here is a great trick that I teach my clients to use to help them drink more water:

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Take time to recover!

Although some people enjoy working out 7 days a week, it is also recommended that you allow your body to have time to recover.  This is a great time to stretch and just let your body heal! Ice packs and self heating ointment can be great things to use to help you recover.  Here are some at-home remedies that you can try on your own:

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Set realistic goals!

This is probably one of the most common mistakes.  You have to set a goal that will be reachable in a realistic amount of time. If you set goals that are hard/impossible to obtain this could contribute to you not reaching your goals. Start with a smaller goal and then gradually work towards that (adding other small goals along the way).

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… Fit Chicks Guide to #lifestylesofthefitandflexin…

There are just some things that you DO or DO NOT do once you cross over to being a fit chick.  These things are adapted simply because…it is what most fit chicks do!  Yeah I am going to go ahead and say “all of the kool kids are/are not doing it” because lets be honest….most fit chicks I know have slowly transitioned to doing/not doing some of these things!

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{1}… Throw away the scale…

At this point…who cares!!! You have been eating healthy (most of the time), crushing the weights in the gym, and looking leaner and BETTER than ever.  The scale does NOT define the fitness success you have accomplished throughout your fitness journey.  You now measure your success via the slimming waist…bulging muscles…and wonder woman like strength that is slowly developing.  REJOICE for  you are now no longer a slave to the scale (and you may even get excited when you realize you have actually GAINED a pound or two!)

{2} …You look forward to rest days….but spend some portion of your rest day looking forward to when you can get back in the gym…

Yes…sometimes you do need to take a little break from the iron temple.  You do have to listen to your body and know when to just stay at home some days.  Although it may be hard it is still necessary.

{3}…Stay away from Whole Foods (or any other health food store)…

I am in NO way bashing these places…but believe me your pocket book will thank you later for it! I can not remember ONE trip that I have made to my favorite health food store that I did not drop at least $100.  Darn those sample trays and weekly “new hot item” signs.  *sigh* they get me EVERY time…and of course you can not just grab one!  They are usually on sale for 2/$5 or 3/$8….or some random price.  And of course they will have several different flavors for you to try. So why not just grab one (or two) of each to try! What can it hurt!?? It is healthy AND on sale!

{4}…find a good tea infusing mug AND tea pot…

Realistically who makes just one cup of tea?  And for those of use who can not find time to sit at home and actually enjoy the cup of tea you have to learn how to be mobile.  Stores like Teavana sweetly beckon to you every time you walk by.  And do not even think about taking a stroll down the tea isle at the grocer store!  There is always tea on sale and they store always has new/seasonal teas brightly and boldly on display.

{5} …invest in the stretch….

When I speak of “the stretch” I am referring to Stretchy clothing.  Stretch pants…shorts…tank tops…shirts…and even bras!  Fit chicks around the globe can probably relate to me when I say that some of your favorite brands of clothing may not fit the same once those muscles start to develop.  Jeans that are too tight on your thighs but too big in your waist…cute baby T’s that wont fit over your arms….cute boots that wont zip up over your calf…*sigh* growing muscles come at a small price but you do not have to sacrifice fashion for your new physique! You will just have to learn how to adjust via new brands and stretchy material.

Hopefully some of this information was helpful.  I would like to think that it is safe to say that some of my fellow fit chicks can relate to what was said in this post.  If not…that’s ok! Maybe you can teach me a few things that I have not figured out yet!

 

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…Goal Setting: Being realistic and staying motivated…

When I sit down and initially meet with a client, one of the first questions I ask them is:

Can you tell me three main objectives you would like to achieve while working with me?

Can you tell me three small goals that you would like to achieve while working towards your major goals?

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Realistically getting healthy and fit is an overall lifestyle overhaul.  You have to change the way you think, the way you live, you have to change your overall outlook on how you see yourself and how you approach each and every day.

Overall your goal should be to obtain a healthy lifestyle.  You should want to lose weight, lose inches, but most importantly you should want to learn how to live and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Getting healthy and fit is not intended to be a quick fix.  It should not just be a 30…60…90 day challenge for you to participate in and once that timeline has gone by you go back to your old habits.  The goal should be to utilize your time to properly learn how to eat healthy, how to create a fitness schedule that works for your lifestyle, and learn how to balance your life/family/work obligations while working towards your goals.

Yes it is a great goal to start off wanting to lose 5…10…20 pounds.  But once you lose that weight what is next? You just give up because you reached your goal? While those are great goals those should be classified as SHORT term goals.  Your long-term goal should be to learn to keep that weight off while continuing to live a health and active lifestyle.

Other goals to consider adding to your list:

  • Learning to prepare healthy meals for you and your family. [This includes techniques that allow you to prepare meals for you to have throughout the week to help keep you on track and less likely to get tempted to just go and grab something at your local fast food place]
  • Creating your own workouts (and possibly your family). [This can range from scheduling active outings for you and your family, signing up for group classes at a fitness facility, hiring a trainer to help you and then learning to develop your own routine.  There are various avenues that can be taken to help you with this goal.]
  • Learning to focus NOT on the scale but on your overall health.  Your health should NOT be measured by the number that is on the scale.  [While working towards your goals it is important to look at other variables such as your body measurements or how you look/feel to help you measure your progress. ]
  • Working towards building a stronger person INSIDE and OUT. [While on your fitness journey you should aim work on all aspects of your being not just the physical aspect.  Some people seek to also doing more volunteer work or even working on broken relationships with friends/family members.  You can also work on your own emotional relationship with yourself or your spiritual relationship.]

The trick is creating GOOD goals AND realistic goals.  Realistically you can lose about 2-4 lbs a week. Some weeks you will lose no weight….and then another week you may be a rock  star and lose 3 pounds.  Regardless of how much you do/don’t lose you have to stay motivated and determined to keep pushing towards your goals.

There are so many resources for anyone to utilize to help keep you motivated and accountable for your goals.  There are free websites and forums where you can chat and get encouragement from so many people who are willing to help. No one has to go through this journey alone! Utilize your resources and it will help to keep you pushing through the hard times.

Your goals are most definitely obtainable. As long as your goals are realistic, as long as you stay consistent and persistent, and as long as you stay focused and PATIENT you will get there! Your body will not change over night! How long did it take you to get to where you are today?  It will take you some time to lose what you have accumulated over time. BUT IT CAN BE DONE!!

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…Give Up Fast Food?…

Over 4 years ago I made a pledge to myself to give up ALL fast food.

This means no McDonald’s, No Burger King, No Taco Bell, No Sonic….No place that was a “fast food” chain.  And to this day that had been one of my best choices.  I did it for several reasons…

1) To save money! After calculating how much I spent each month on fast food that was DOUBLE my budget for my grocery bill!  I learned to plan out my meals, make a menu, and stick to my monthly budget and it has helped me save HUNDREDS of dollars each year.

2)To eat healthier.  I am not saying that fast food places do not have healthy options for you.  Now they have done a great job at having alternative to offer families instead of the usual menu items.  Like offering fruit instead of fries.  Or having milk or juice instead of carbonated beverages.  They have done a great job over the years to add some healthier options to their menus.  But, for me, I felt that the variety of things that the grocery store was better and most cost-effective for me than going to grab something at my local fast food place.

3) To help me learn what I need to eat and to be more mindful of the things that I put in my body.  Since then I have gotten leaner and gotten better results physically.  Not having the luxury of just driving up someplace and getting food has made me actually think about what I want and what I need to eat on a daily basis.  I have adopted a much healthier eating habit not to mention I have saved money!

 

There are tons of articles and studies on how “healthy” some of the items fast food places sale to you.  And yes most of them are true.  Hence why it is better to take your own pledge to limit or cut out fast food from your diet.

You do not have to quit cold turkey! And like I said before, they do have some healthier options on the menu. But make sure that the healthy option is not tainted with double ranch dressing or with other things that will help diminish its healthy intentions.  You have to learn what is on the menu, how much of it you can have, and what to add/take away to keep that healthy meal within the “healthy meal” range.

One of the most important things about starting on a new health journey is know what is the right and wrong things to eat.  And the things in the image above are the WRONG things to consume on a regular basis.  I am not going to lie to you and say that I do not enjoy a nice burger.  But I enjoy that burger every once in a while.  You have to learn what you need on a regular basis and what you can have in moderation.

Each fast food restaurant should have a “Nutritional Facts” guide posted in their store or on their website (and to be honest most regular restaurants are starting to have them as well).  It would be smart to look at them before you go to get your food so you can have in mind what are the best things and the worst things they have on their menus.

It is wise to NOT super size/enlarge your meals when asked.  Also, limit the kind of condiments that you use on your meal. Even though Buffets are good for your pocket-book it is best to stay away from them! This is just a sure way for you to overeat, or eat several plate full of items that should be eaten in moderation. If you do go to a buffet try not to go up for seconds.  Try to know what is a good portion size and make sure to get those portion sizes when you go up for your first entrée. And if you are still hungry, drink some water and wait a bit until you make your second trip.  Sometimes it takes a little bit for your brain to realize that you are full so waiting will allow your food/drink to settle and for you to realize if you are truly full or not.

There are some more great tips in THIS article that will help you when making your fast food decisions.

Hope that this was a great tip to get your guys through the weekend! Happy Friday! And do not forget…ANY DAY is a GREAT DAY to start being healthy!

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…2013: Year of Fitness…

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What are YOUR health and fitness goals for 2013?

This year, a few good friends of mine and I have decided to participate in AS MANY 5k obstacle races and mud runs as we can!

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We are not just joining every random race that we see.
We check out what the race is about and if they donate to a charity.

So far we have 13 races planned for this year and we have already completed 3.

This was a great idea for all of us to plan time to get to see each other.

We all are growing up and creating our lives in cities that are far away from each other.

We love the fact that we can plan things to do with each other.  It allows us something to look forward to.  AND it also keeps us training in the gym so that we are in shape and able to complete our races.  So far our last race of the year will be the hardest!

We will participate in the Tough Mudder which is the BIGGEST mud runs of all mud runs.

If you do not know what  Tough Mudder is go to YouTube and see some videos about it!

Setting these kind of activities for you and your friends (or even your family) are fantastic ideas.  You all can meet during the week to workout and train for these races.  And completing the race is your ultimate goal (and each race you can try to complete it at a better/faster time!)

So what fitness goals do you have set for this year?

If you do not have any you should consider setting at least one!

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…Complain = Remain the same…OR…Train = Make some gains!…

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…Everyone has an excuse as to why the can’t workout/eat healthy…

“I Don’t Have Time.”

…did you know they have 24 hour gyms!? so now you can plan your day on when you CAN find time to workout!

“I’m Too Tired.”

…if you start working out regularly studies have shown that people GAIN power, strength, energy, and endurance to get them through their day!

“I Don’t Get a Break From the Kids.”

…did you know that some gyms offer day care! Or you can ask a local church, friends/family,  or seek other options to find child care for an hour so you can work out!

“Exercise Is Boring.”

…then you must not do the right things!  There are so many FUN options available for you to workout and have fun at the same time! Can you honestly tell me that Zumba is NOT fun!?

“I can’t afford it.”

…if you can not afford a monthly gym membership try workout videos or even trying to create your own workout to do at home!

“I don’t want to get bulky.”

…SORRY LADIES!  Doing simple exercise and strength training will NOT get you big and bulky…

“I don’t know how to exercise.”

…this is your ONE and only time it is OK to be a stalker!  Go to the gym and look around and watch what other people are doing!  DO not try to lift as heavy as they are but you can try some of their moves.  Or you can Go to the gym and ask a worker or even other people working out for some suggestions!  

 

Any more excuses?

I have an answer to resolve it!!

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