We all know that we should be drinking water (and lots of it) for optimum health and fitness. I know that sometimes I kind of lose my focus and even though I am still drinking water, I’m not putting forth the effort needed to drink it in the quantity that I would like. Every once in a while, I need a little “pep talk” to get my focus back. If you could use a little “pep talk” yourself, then just hit “play” on the video above.
Choosing the right workout songs for your exercise can really help to motivate you to work out to your full potential. I really notice a difference in the level of how hard I push myself if I’m listening to my favorite tunes on my iPod. When I’m listening to a song I like, it’s easy to lose myself in the music and forget that I’m putting my body through something that it would rather not do.
One of my favorite workout songs is, “All Fired Up” by Pat Benatar. It has a beat that works well with running or cycling and when I keep the beat, I find that I am really pushing myself. Also, it lasts for four minutes and thirty one seconds and that is a good period of time to “push” myself. So, if I wasn’t listening to my favorite workout song while I was in the “push” mode, I would inevitably decide that I had “pushed” enough, way before the four and a half minute mark. But with my song, I can tell if I’m quitting too soon or not.
I started adding workout music to my exercise routine about a year ago when my husband gave me an iPod. And I regret that I didn’t start sooner. Adding music to my workout has really helped to motivate me - kind of like my very own personal trainer. The workout songs set the pace and the length of my exercise.
The hardest part is deciding which songs are your favorite to workout to. You can borrow mine. Take a listen to, “All Fired Up” by clicking on the mp3 player below - Tell me, does that motivate you or what? (Of course, it’s better when they don’t cut off the chorus, but you get the idea, right?)
When you find your favorite workout songs, load up your iPod with them and - “Move It!, Move It!, Move It!”
Watching the Olympics seems to be bad for my health. Let me explain: First of all - I was taking my own Diet Tip Trio Challenge (see prior post) and the Challenge I chose was the third one - Mindful Eating. Basically, when I’m eating, I’m not supposed to be doing anything else (like watching the Olympics). So, the Olympics coerced me into blowing my Challenge. Okay, I’ll take responsibility…I blew it. I ate my dinner (and dessert because I’m celebrating for the Olympians) in front of the TV a few times. But after that I got back on track to eating at the kitchen table.
The next heal
th and fitness problem I ran into was that the inspiration I got from the athletes motivated me to put in some hard-body workouts. Yes, I was so caught up in the Olympic Spirit that my brain deluded itself into thinking that my body could actually do an Olympic workout. Initially, it appeared as if my brain was winning the battle because I was working out pretty hard for a while - but now, a few days later, my body is getting the last word in. Of course, I’m sore as heck because my body isn’t used to this. This, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem comes because I’m working out hard and my muscles need at least 8 hours of sleep to recover properly. But am I getting 8 hours of sleep? No way, because I’m staying up late watching the Olympics!
It’s a good thing the Olympics don’t last very long because I’m not sure how long I could continue at this pace. I’ll be happy to give up the late nights in exchange for more rest but I’m hoping that I don’t give up the incredible motivation toward fitness that the Olympians inspire.
Have you ever noticed that when you are ready to get going on a diet program, you are bombarded with all of the things you’re not supposed to do? Well, I thought it would be fun if we approached this from the angle of what you’re supposed to do.
So, I’m going to challenge you to pick a diet tip from the three listed below and actually do it for a week (ideally, you should do it longer - but I’d like to see a strong commitment for at least one week).
I’m sure you’ve probably already heard of most of these diet tips. So have I, but it doesn’t mean that I have actually done them. It’s kind of like my 7 year old son who just started taking Karate. Right before his first lesson he announced to me that he already knew how to do Karate. I had to explain to him that watching Power Rangers doesn’t mean that you know Karate. Just because you’ve seen it done or know about it, doesn’t mean that you know it. It takes practice to know something and furthermore, if you say 
that you know something and you haven’t practiced it - you are actually closing your mind to learning more about it.
Okay, so now I have to eat my words. How’s that for a diet program? I suppose I’m a lot like my son. I know a lot about these diet tips but I often forget to practice them. That is why I am including myself in this challenge.
Together, let’s take a look at our choices for our Diet Tip Trio Challenge:
Eat Off Smaller Plates - This is a pretty simple one. If you have kids in the house, use one of their plates. You could buy smaller paper plates or (my favorite) go out and buy a few special plates just for you that have a really cool design on them. Don’t worry about matching it to anything. Just make it fun for you. Eating off of smaller plates has the benefits of: making it appear as if you are eating more food since a smaller amount fills the plate and with a smaller plate it’s difficult to put a whole bunch of food on it in the first place.
Snack on Fruits and Vegetables - In order to make this easier to do, have all the fruits and veggies cleaned and cut and “snack-ready”. I know if I have to cut up a cucumber in order to have a snack, I’ll opt for something else. When you come home from the store, set aside some slicing and dicing time. Put all of the sliced produce in ziploc bags or tupperware. If you do it all at once, it makes it easier to just grab a healthy snack when you are hungry or on the go. Snacking on fruits and vegetables adds necessary vitamins and fiber to your diet and it also fills you up with lower calorie foods which will help your total calorie reduction.
Every Time You Eat a Meal, Sit Down, Chew Slowly and Pay Attention to Flavors and Textures - Okay, this one sounds real easy but in our fast-paced world it is actually very difficult. This means when you are eating, you are only eating. No watching TV or reading or anything else you do while you’re eating so that you can accomplish two things at once. (I am so guilty of this) Slowing down and actually paying attention to our food helps us to enjoy what we eat, it helps us to be mindful of how much we are eating and it also makes us feel full faster if we eat slower.
So … are you up for the Diet Tip Trio Challenge?
Which one will you pick? Click on the “comment” link below and let me know which one you chose. To keep yourself accountable, let me know when you’re going to start. And don’t forget to come back after a week or so and let me know how things went. To see which one I picked, check out the comments.
Modifying your diet to maximize weight loss includes what you drink. All calories count even if they are liquid.
But there’s Good News: it can be done! I lost 22 pounds in six months and I didn’t give up my Starbucks habit. I did however, modify it. Things like adding soy milk which has less fat and more protein than whole milk. Holding the whip cream. And … oh yeah, the frequency of my visits were cut down (this also had an added benefit of being easier on the budget).
The bottom line is: You don’t have to deprive yourself in order to lose weight but you need to be smart about your choices. I hope you got some tips from the video about what you could do to modify your coffee without depriving yourself. Now go grab some coffee at Starbucks (or your kitchen)- and while you’re there plan out your workout schedule for next week.
Can you imagine if you knew the secret of how to burn calories while doing nothing? Well, the truth is you are already burning calories doing nothing. Just not a whole lot of them. If you want to know how to kick your calorie-burning-while-doing-nothing into overdrive, then read on…
Cardiovascular exercise will torch calories, but resistance training is a big part of the equation if you want to burn fat. Boosting your muscle mass increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories all the time, even when you’re not working out. - from www.WebMD.com
Allow me to translate: Running your butt off will burn calories (and this is a good thing, considering what you may have had for dinner last night), but lifting weights or doing body weight exercises should also be done if you want to burn fat (you
know the stuff that isn’t attributed to just last night’s dinner).
Increasing your muscle mass (yes, I’m talking to you ladies, too) will increase how fast you burn calories all the time, even when you are not working out (like when you’re reading blogs online).
The main goal here is to Increase Muscle Mass. You can do this by using this 2 pronged approach:
1. Include Strength Training in your exercise routine. This includes lifting weights or doing body weight exercises. You can accomplish a lot with just an exercise ball and a set of dumbbells. Or you can look up body weight exercises online such as squats or pushups or other unique exercises that maybe you hadn’t thought of.
2. Eat More Protein in your diet. Right after you get done working out, it is especially important to get some protein in your body to help increase your muscle building process. Protein drinks are great for this. There are also protein bars or you can focus on eating a high protein meal. Good sources of protein include: protein powder, lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs and peanut butter.
So, the bottom line is - if you’re interested in getting your butt body to a place where it will burn calories while you surf the net, the best way to do this is to increase your muscle mass - and the best way to do that is to follow the 2 pronged approach outlined above.
This video is from the makers of the Turbo Jam workout and the P90X workout. Even if you don’t have either one of those exercise DVDs, you still might be interested in the differences in exercise shoes.
Even if you’re doing everything else right, your efforts can be undermined by improper footwear. Working out with the wrong shoes increases pounding on the joints, and can lead to injuries like plantar fasciitis or tendinitis. - from www.WebMD.com
I have several pairs of workout shoes in my closet. The pair I choose depends on what workout I’m doing. I have walking, running and bouncing up and down workout shoes. I also have gardening shoes (they haven’t seen much use lately) and shoes from 20 years ago. I suppose my next exercise should be cleaning out my closet or my flower bed.
I have a real hard time finding an exercise partner. My workout schedule doesn’t always run like clock work. So it’s hard for me to commit to being in a certain place at a certain time. But yet I enjoy having the accountability that an exercise partner brings. Knowing that someone will be disappointed if I miss a workout is great motivation to make sure I get it done. This calls for some creative problem-solving.
So I found a four-legged workout partner. She’s great! She doesn’t complain when I’m late in fact, 
she’ll workout at any time. She never cancels on me. She lets me set the pace of our workout. And she encourages me to go on walks when I just “don’t feel like it.” (Well, actually it’s more like, if I don’t give her regular exercise she behaves badly - and that’s enough to encourage me to take her often). She’s much more well behaved when she gets in her exercise. And so am I. The rush of endorphins really help to keep the stress level down (a very welcome added benefit of exercise).
You might have a four-legged furry friend scampering around your feet. If you do, get a leash and take your friend for a walk or a jog. In fact, find a way to work this into your exercise routine. Both you and your dog will get fresh air and exercise (and hopefully be more well behaved - yes, both of you).
If you are looking for a four-legged workout partner - I found mine at PetFinder.com and she’s perfect for accountability, motivation and encouragement. Those are standard features for most four-legged exercise partners.
Have you ever had a four-legged exercise partner? Are you thinking about getting one?
I am a huge fan of Billy Blanks. I have his original Tae Bo exercise videos and have just recently purchased his Tae Bo AMPED exercise DVD’s. In fact, I just finished a Tae Bo AMPED workout. That is where I got the idea to post this review. Here is a sample of the workout:
As I was saying, I love his workouts. I love the motivation that he provides. I love that the workout is truly a total-body workout. It usually encompasses all body parts and includes both strength training and cardio. It eliminates the need to do other exercises (like crunches for my abs) in addition to the video because my abs are worked during the workout. I love efficiency.
Okay, so here’s my complaint: (Sorry Billy, you know I still love ya) There are times when Billy gets in “amped” mode or “cardio” mode where he encourages me to exercise in “double time”. Well, a) this 40+ body doesn’t do that mode so easily anymore, b) I’d much rather focus on my form and doing the exercise properly at the slower speed and c) there are times where I feel that just wouldn’t be safe for my back.
So what’s a 40+ exerciser to do (or someone at any age who just isn’t “feelin” the “amped” mode)? LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. That’s right. Just because Billy is an expert at exercise, doesn’t mean he’s an expert on your body. That’s YOUR job. Whether you’re listening to Billy Blanks or any other expert on exercising or eating right, pay attention to what your body is telling you. You need to become the expert on your body. You need to know what is going to help it and what is going to hurt it. You determine this by paying attention to how your body feels. Yes, knowledge from other people is good and necessary but don’t forget to engage your brain with the knowledge that you have about your own body. If something doesn’t feel right when you exercise, then modify what you are doing.
And that’s what I do. I modify my “amped” mode. Most of the time I just ignore the “amped” mode and just continue at a regular pace. Trust me, this is still enough to get an awesome workout in.
In summary, I love Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo AMPED workout videos. Great motivation. Great total-body exercises. And they come with a cool, 3 pound “Amplifier” bar that I also use for other exercises when I’m not doing the video workouts.
Word of caution: In my opinion, his “amped” mode is done too fast, especially if you are using the amplifier bar. If you feel the same way, just “listen to your body” and do it at your own pace. It is still a great workout and a good opportunity to tune into what your body is telling you.
The other day I emailed a friend of mine the link to a post here “Do You Workout Like a Soldier at Boot Camp?” Well … no, she doesn’t and this was her reply:
“I loved the military workout article on your site. Frankly, that site gives me a total guilt trip. I’m sorry, but I don’t abide by one single principle on that site of yours. Geez, I feel like a slug - all hopped up on caffeine, sugar and toxic substances. I’m going to have to force myself to look at it more and maybe take some baby steps toward becoming 1/10th the pillar of fitness that you are! It’s a really, REALLY good site and has lots of great info - now when I look at my big exercise ball sitting in the wheelbarrow in the garage, I give it a second glance (hey that’s something, right??) and think, hey, maybe I should bring it in the house and use it for a chair instead of letting the kids kick it around the cul de sac… baby steps, girlfriend, baby steps!!”
I emailed her back encouraging her not to be afraid to log on to my blog. She doesn’t have to do everything all at once. I told her that taking the stability ball out of the wheelbarrow and into the house was a good first step. Let the ball into your world. Sit on the ball one night while you are watching TV. Who knows, maybe the next night you might do a stretch or two on the ball. Eventually you will start thinking of other things you could do with the ball.
Every little baby step in the right direction counts!
So drink an extra glass of water today and go to bed knowing that you are at least moving in the right direction.
Whether you are just starting to discover baby steps toward getting into better shape or you are at “Boot Camp Level” with your fitness - it’s all about moving forward in a positive direction on your health and fitness journey.
So go ahead and click on the “comment” link below and tell me how you are “moving forward” - even if it is just taking the exercise ball out of the wheelbarrow … or maybe you’ve added a fourth Boot Camp workout to your week. Let me know.
