Hey Ladies!!

So, I’m trying to think of the title for a new section on my blog and who better to help me with a title than YOU my dedicated readers! Read the full story

Last week I showed you an upper body workout to help you tone and tighten your upper body. The workout put a different spin on your usual upper body workout by using resistance bands instead of free weights.

I got a question from one of my readers:

How do I know which resistance band I should buy and use for my upper body workouts? There are many different colors – how do I tell the difference? Read the full story

In the pursuit of a flat stomach one cannot forget the importance of a good leg workout.  However, sometimes life comes at you fast and you don’t have time to get to the gym. No worries! These four leg exercises can be done anywhere – in the comfort of your own home, at the gym or at the track.   It doesn’t matter WHERE you workout – as long as you workout!

Leg training days are some of my favorite workouts – I love the feeling of my legs getting stronger and my glutes getting tighter, plus there is just something awesome about not being able to walk up the stairs the next day – haha.   Plus, one of the many benefits of a good leg workout – is that it will help you get rid of cellulite in some of those problem areas. Read the full story

An effective flat stomach workout is key to getting a flat stomach.  This doesn’t mean that you spend hours doing crunches to get a flat stomach.  One important part of a flat stomach workout is a body weight program. The following video is a great example of a full body workout, done three times a week, that will help you burn fat and get a flat stomach.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0WhZe7Khc[/youtube]

I went to my first Seminar this past weekend, Fast Track to Fitness Millions, in New Jersey. It was awesome – so many amazing people there with awesome stories, dreams, ideas and goals. One thing I realized while I was there is that we sometimes over-analyze things WAY too much and make them a bigger deal than they need to be. This makes it harder for us to reach our goals and accomplish what we want.

There were a handful of women at this conference (which I was able to meet and hang out with a few of them like Angie Schumacher, Holly Rigsby, and Melissa Roberts) and the rest were men. One of my favorite presentations was that by Chris McCombs – he talked about blogging and how to attract your market and be a successful blogger. [singlepic=25,320,240,,center]

Chris offered some amazing tips and tricks to be a successful blogger, but the main idea throughout his presentation was DO IT. Just write. If you don’t start somewhere you’re never going to get anywhere.

I was in awe….wow…it’s so simple.  It can’t really be that simple – is it? What’s the trick? There’s got to be a hidden trick? Something he’s not telling me…my mind was racing.

After talking to a few more people I realized that there really were no tricks and it really as that simple – as Nike says – Just Do It.

Really – whatever it is you are trying to achieve or accomplish, you need to just do it.

Stop thinking about flat abs – do what you need to do to get them.

Stop wondering if you can do it – believe in yourself and know that you will.

Stop playing the scenarios over and over again in your head – just go for it.

If you keep wondering about something you may miss your opportunity, you get frustrated and then it makes it even harder for you to try something. This goes for all aspects of life – work, gym, dating, friends – we think too much about doing something and may miss out on the opportunity that was right before our eyes the whole time, but we analyzed it too much.

What are you thinking about right now? What are you worrying about?
Go do it. [singlepic=26,220,140,,right]

When you finally ‘Just Do It’ the feelings of accomplishment afterwards beat no other. You’ve accomplished a small goal, task, desire and now you are one step closer to reaching the bigger picture.

Go to the gym. Lift weights. Stop eating when you get upset and go for a run. Stop wondering what that guy thinks of you and go talk to him. Don’t think about it – just go.

What are you going to do today and not think about it? For me, it was writing this post.
WOOHOO!

Lately I have been receiving a lot of questions about what to eat after a workout.  So, I wanted to take the time to make sure that we all understand the importance of post-workout nutrition and how it can affect how quickly you reach your fitness goals, without getting too scientific.

There are two major things to consider with your post-workout meal:
1)  How soon after your workout you have your first meal
2)  What to eat after your workout

How Soon After my Workout Should I have My First Meal?

Timing of your post-workout meal is VERY important. If you wait too long to eat after your workout your body will store the food you eat as fat, instead of feeding it right into the muscle.
Ideally, you should eat 30 minutes to 60 minutes (at most) after your workout. During this time, immediately after your workout, your muscles are in the most optimal state to absorb the nutrients, from your post workout meal, directly into the muscle.  It is also a time where glycogens, the energy reserve in your muscle, can most efficiently be refueled. Waiting too long to eat will then starve the muscles and make your workout less effective.

What to Eat after My Workout?

The best post-workout meal should consist of a proper proportion of protein and carbohydrates.  If you are working out to lose weight, you want to make sure that you have more protein in your post-workout meal than carbohydrates. However, if you want to splurge on carbs, having them post-workout is the most optimal time, as your body will not store them as fat.
Also, make sure to stay away from fat in any post-workout meal. Healthy fats are a great source of nutrition; however, during the time right after your workout, fats will slow down the digestion of the protein and carbohydrates that you have. By slowing down the digestion process you are slowing down the absorption of nutrients into the muscles.

The simplest and one of my favorite post-workout meals is a protein shake. I use a whey protein, combine it with water in a shaker cup, and sometimes have a piece of fruit to go along with it. This liquid meal absorbs into your body quickly and works immediately to restoring and rebuilding your muscle. Or, if I am not in a rush I’ll make myself a ‘fancier’ post-workout shake and combine the same ingredients in a blender.  Another option, if you have more time, you can always cook egg whites, or chicken breast for a post-workout meal. But you want to make sure that you are getting it into your system as quickly as possible.

What you eat after your workout is one of the greatest determining factors in how quickly you reach your fitness goals. Keeping in mind these simple nutrition tips will help make each workout that much more effective and keep your fitness goals a reality.

I know the topic is not 100% fitness/workout related, but while I was trying to get through my 20 minutes on the StairMaster after my leg workout this afternoon, I couldn’t help but look around at the people in the gym [singlepic=14,260,190,,left] and I just had to share what I saw and thought.

First of all I would just like to say that the gym is a GREAT place for people watching. Yes, I’m totally focused on my own workouts, but honestly there are some VERY interesting characters walking around the gym (at least MY gym) that it’s really hard sometimes not to notice and take a moment during your brief rest and stare (in the most polite way of course).

However, not all stories are silly/annoying/’what are you doing?’ situations, there are those few moments that you take a look at a person who is working SO hard and you are truly inspired…however, that doesn’t happen that often.

Here’s some of the things I’ve seen or thought about when in the gym the last week and thought I’d share:

- A man with two dumbbells in his hands, swaying back and forth, trying to scratch his armpits with the weights in is hands – okay I’m being too polite here – he looked like he was a gorilla. The way he was swaying back and forth – I’m still trying to figure out what muscle group he was working on. Any ideas?

- A man doing a dead lift with a ROUNDed back. I looked at him and could only say, ‘OW. Please sir, straighten out your back, mine really hurts looking at yours.’ (I always wonder – can I say something? Would he be offeneded? I just want to help him not hurt himself…but I’m sure that would hurt his ego if a girl came and corrected him, so I just stay away). [singlepic=13,280,200,,center]

- Some poor man fell on the treadmill. Lost his footing and went face first into the treadmill. Ouch. He was definitely seeing stars, he got up…he was walking and looked okay…now I’m nervous I’ll be the next to fall…

- There are a lot of interesting outfits at the gym. I am always so curious to know what people thought about when they got ready for the gym. You can tell that some people didn’t think, which is totally fine, and others put WAY too much thought into their outfit.  Just be comfortable in whatever you are wearing, that’s all that really matters.

- People who bring coffee into the gym. I’d love to know why. And I can’t imagine after a really hard set going and gulping my coffee to quench my thirst and feeling refreshed and ready for the next one.

Well, I think that’s enough ranting and raving for one day. Hope you had a laugh or a smile or may be able to relate to one of these stories. Honestly, I love the gym and all the interesting people that go there. I will miss seeing them when I have my own gym one day, well, maybe I’ll make sure to go back and visit every once in a while.

I’d love to hear your stories…what are crazy things you’ve seen at the gym?

I switched it up this week and made Monday my Upper Body Workout day. I’m training with a friend tomorrow and we’re doing legs, so instead of skipping a day I just flip-flopped the workouts. My arms are beat after this workout today. I could still feel the leftovers from Saturday’s workout, even though I didn’t do anything yesterday. But that’s the BEST part.

What’s even more exciting is I’m starting to really notice some major changes in my arm definition and strength – which for me are my two biggest measures of the effectiveness of my workouts.

So, instead of writing down my workout for you, because I love sharing what I’m doing in the gym, and because I’m a visual learner – I made a quick video of my workout for you to check out.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the exercises, my workouts, or would like some help with your workouts – I love helping and talking about fitness – so please don’t hesitate to let me know!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWOLS56sKtQ[/youtube]

Who doesn’t want a butt like Monica Brant? I know I do!! I found this awesome video of Monica Brant, from one of her FEM Camps, demonstrating some exercises that are great for your glutes! And when it comes to having a nice bum – I’m all in – so I had to share!

Depending on how you train you can make good use of the exercises Monica Brant shows in this video. If you train legs one day or lower body one day – you can take this exact routine she demonstrates and make it your leg workout for the day. Or if you prefer to do a full body workout – choose 3 of the exercises Monica demonstrates and add them to your full body routine in place of what you are currently doing for legs. Its a great idea to change up your workouts every few weeks to keep your muscles guessing as to what you’re doing next.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pxYtwehlaU[/youtube]

I know I’m excited to incorporate some of these exercises into my workout (short season IS just around the corner). I’m really looking forward to trying the reverse hack squat and the single leg leg press, incorporating the heel movement (which targets your hamstrings).

What’s your favorite exercise to tone and tighten your glutes?

I’ve changed up the workout routine yet again and it was another kick butt, fat burning, heart pumping workout. It was fun though, knowing that I was burning fat and getting another step closer to my goal.
Today’s workout was based around the idea of high intensity and little rest. I focused on no rest between exercises and 30-40 seconds rest between sets. This type of workout keeps your heart rate up and burning fat for longer.
The workout:
Warm-up: Bridges + Clams
Set 1
Single Leg Machine Leg Press (4 sets/ 10-15 reps)
Calf Raises (3 sets – Regular/Toes In/Toes Out)
Set 2
Dumbbell Chest Press (20/15/12/10 – Increased weight on 3rd set)
Supine Lat Pulldown (4 sets/8-10 reps)
Set 3
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Heavier weight 4 sets/8-10 reps)
Resistance Band Flyes (4 sets/20 reps)
Set 4
Machine Assisted Dips (4 sets/10-12 reps)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (4 sets/15 reps)
Set 5
Crunches (3 sets 50 reps)
Plank (hold for 30 seconds)

I ended today’s workout with 30 minutes on the treadmill – doing an incline walk – focusing on a heel toe walk to work a bit more on the hamstrings.
I made it out of the gym, but we’ll see how I’m walking tomorrow!