Fitness Exercises For Men At Home with Busy Schedules

Oh man, it can be so challenging to pack everything into already hugely busy days. So many men friends in my life have had to figure out some new strategies to keep up with their own health and fitness. Found some great ideas here- please SHARE with the men in your lives!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/fitness-exercises-for-men-at-home-with-busy-schedules/#!60

Fitness Exercises For Men At Home with Busy Schedules

We all know that health and fitness should be a top priority in your life no matter what. After all, you only have one body and the better care you take of it now, the better off you‘ll be later in life. When it comes to working out, that’s often easier said than done. That is why, if you’re a guy, it’s important to find Fitness Exercises for Men at Home with Busy Schedules. Then there is no wasting time going to the gym and you can use the excuse “There are no good Fitness Exercises for Men that can be done at home”. Despite your best intentions to keep a consistent workout schedule, we all know there are many excuses such as, I am too busy, I am on vacation, and I am too sore, too tired, and unmotivated. 

Enough with the excuses because there is a way to incorporate Fitness Exercises for Men At Home with Busy Schedules.

1. Embrace shorter workouts:

You don’t need to spend hours working out to stay healthy and fit. If you use programs that incorporate high intensity interval training (HIIT), you can get stronger, more fit, and in the best shape ever in as little as 30 minutes. Checkout P90X3, Insanity Max30, 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme and you will see how that can happen. These At-Home workouts are short and sweet.

2. Create a ritual:

To create a habit you must create a ritual around the new habit. Staying with an exercise routine is no different.

Here is an example of Fitness Exercises for Men At Home with Busy SchedulesRoutine: Workout first thing in the morning before you go to work. Create a ritual where every morning you get up, eat a small breakfast while listening to your favorite music to get you pumped up, take the dog for a quick stroll around the block, then work out, make a nutrition shake or recovery shake, shower, and drive to work.

If you consistently make this a part of your morning routine, eventually you will not think twice about it. It will just come naturally to you.

FITNESS EXERCISES FOR MEN AT HOME WITH BUSY SCHEDULES

3. Schedule it in your calendar:

Make your workout as important as you would any other appointment. If you use Beachbody Fitness Programs they all come with a Calendar so you know exactly what workout and what exercises you will be doing. You can simply transfer this schedule into your calendar each week.

4. Commit for 30 days:

Many people have a hard time with long term commitments when it comes to exercise. This is where you look at committing to 21 or 30 day programs. The best Fitness Exercises for Men At Home with Busy Schedules that fit into these time frames are 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme. If you want more than 21 days then you can commit other at home programs, but just focus on each 30 days as its own regimen.

The key is to commit to the habit and doing that habit consistently. 

5. Choose a Program that has Progressive Fitness Exercises

When you first start working out consistently, it is important that you have a high quality program that provides fitness exercises that are designed with the proper progression. This will keep you on track, improve your fitness levels, and help keep you from injury. The highest quality and proven programs are by Beachbody.

FITNESS EXERCISES FOR MEN AT HOME WITH BUSY SCHEDULES

Start with the steps above and you will be more likely to succeed in the long run. Get rid of your excuses! There are many Fitness Exercises for Men at Home with Busy Schedules that will create great results. You just need to pick one and start.

Fitness AND Preventive care work better together

Fitness AND Preventive care work better together

There is a statue at the base of Vail Mtn, one of my favorite.  It brilliantly captures the power and grace of Skiing .  Vail us our winter home, Winter Park our permanent residence.  After a deep stretch (ahhhh) I travelled to Vail to take care of some pre-season biz, which included a visit to the Chiropractor!  I was amiss in maintaining my visits, well overdue and WAY out of alignment!  I am Sore, but much better  now.   It's obvious how much weight I put into fitness and nutrition as the cornerstone of wellness. My mistaken tendency however, is to count on my behaviors and habits in lieu of preventive care , when really I need to be investing equally in both!

I guess it's  my knee-jerk reaction to where I think we have strayed as a Country. Putting too much of our health and wellness in the hands of the medical community and not taking enough personal responsibility through our own daily actions, behaviors and habits. I don't personally have much faith in medical practitioners who don't believe in prevention, lifestyle and daily wellness behaviors and more likely see their patients as a collection of symptoms to treat with pills and surgeries.  I believe we need to be in partnership, working with a health care provider who recognizes and embraces prevention with lifestyle AND taking personal responsibility in our daily behaviors.

15 years ago I skied with a Cardiologist (a ski client) who took lifestyle and diet very seriously.  He was the FIRST medical practitioner from whom I'd ever heard any correlation between inflammation and heart disease, which of course is now mainstream thinking.        He then shared his personal philosophy and daily practices of intense cardio training, balancing Omega fatty acids (more 3, less 6 and 9), reducing grains and sugars, increasing good fats.  He was WAY before his time and I was so impressed with him, as he was truly the first medical practitioner who walked the talk!  

My husband and my choices in primary care doctors are athletes,  who follow careful and thoughtful nutrition plans. We use Chiropractors for spinal and joint maintenance.  I'm studying nutrition and working with a Nutritionist to keep track of individual supplement needs and to help with hormonal balance via nutrition (NOT HRT!).   Recently our Optometrist purchased a new camera that takes pictures of the back of our eyes. She's looking at our health, as it's reflected in our eye and specifically looks for early signs of Type II Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Glaucoma , Cataracts, Macular Degeneration. Our health looked GREAT by the look of our eyes!

Fitness AND Preventive care ...working better together

Going forward, we will continue to do what testing we feel is prudent (vs covering the collective medical butt's) and helpful, as well as taking personal responsibility through our lifestyle choices to remain well and thriving.

 It's not either lifestyle OR medical care. It's both, and!

Fresh ideas for a comprehensive lifestyle approach to wellness 

Curious about how you can run a successful home business and become both more physically AND financially fit?  Getting-Fit-Together.com

If you're new to fitness, or just trying out a new fitness program how do you know if it's working? Too often, the signs that a fitness programs is changing your body are misinterpreted as bad. Knowing what effects to expect and what to do about them is key to continuing and succeeding. GREAT information here that I just had to SHARE....
Signs Your Workout Program is Working!

Signs Your Workout Program is Working

We know that when we exercise we perform everyday tasks better, our health is improved, and we feel better. So the question is, how do you know if your workout program is working for you? What are the Signs Your Workout Program is Working? 

That is actually a funny subject. The Signs Your Workout Program is Workingare actually opposite of our intended goals. The signs are soreness, feeling slow or even sluggish, and feeling hungry.  While these signs may seem like negatives, we actually want these signs. These are clear Signs Your Workout Program is Working.

So the key is to embrace programs that are designed to push you just enough to make you sore, sluggish,  sluggish, and hungry. Programs lacking this threesome don’t provide you an incentive to get in top shape. When you push your body above its normal output, even it is it barely there, and you keep it there over time, you will yield improvements. 

SORENESS

Soreness is the first Sign Your Workout Program is Working. Soreness is the easiest symptom to understand. Most of us have been sore one time or another. Soreness happens when we do something physically that our bodies are not accustomed to doing. It can happen from doing yard work, to a pickup game of basketball, or spending hours at a theme park walking around. When you push your body beyond what you do in normal day-to-day activity, you can get sore. 

SIGNS YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAM IS WORKING

Muscle soreness comes from the breakdown of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Our bodies have both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Slow-twitch fibers have a low recruitment factor. This means they get fired up during low outputs. Fast-twitch fibers have a high recruitment factor. This meaning it takes something more intense to get them going. An example would be when you pick up your water bottle to take a drink, this requires the use of the slow-twitch fibers. When you jump up out of your chair and run to the front door you involve fast-twitch fibers. 

Fast-twitch fibers are repaired more slowly than slow-twitch fibers (i.e you don’t get tired from lifting your bottle of water, but you would get tired if you had to sprint to the door all the time). 

Hypertrophy means muscle growth. Muscle growth is part of a well rounded and varied training program. The greatest change in the body involves body fat loss and muscular gains. The quickest way to lose body fat is to gain more muscle. To create hypertrophy, you need to overload your muscle fibers progressively to keep breaking them down. As you become healthier this threshold will change. When you utilize progressive weight or resistance programs, you will get sore. Programs that switch between muscle groups cause muscle confusion and avoid plateaus, so you keep making progress. The most comprehensive and well-designed programs that supply no shortage of muscle confusion and progressions are Beachbody Programs.

SLOW AND SLUGGISH

The second Sign Your Workout Program is Working is when you feel slow and sluggish. This is the hardest condition to conceptualize but the easiest to explain. Remember that hypertrophy means your muscles are growing. When your body is growing it has to adapt to the growth.

Just because a muscle is large does not mean it is strong. It takes training to create those gains in size and in strength. The best gains are realized from a combination of low repetitions, high repetitions, eccentric and isometric movements, as well as agility, cardio and plyometric movements. These all teach the muscles to operate at a higher efficiency. 

When you use programs that mix the various exercise types, your muscles are learning and growing, which means you will experience times when you feel slow or sluggish. Typically you will experience slowness and sluggishness most in the first four weeks of the program,  the training phase. If you don’t feel these symptoms during this time, you are not pushing yourself hard enough and need to ramp up your training. This should be the same when you start a new program, or repeat a program. On the other hand, if the feelings of slowness or sluggishness persist beyond four weeks, you may be overdoing it and risk overtraining.  You must work to find a balance.

HUNGRY

Hunger is final Sign that Your Workout is Working. Do you typically feel hungrier when starting a new program? Well, in some cases the reason can be somewhat obvious. If you are trying to lose weight and start a nutrition plan that is portion controlled and contains foods your body isn’t necessarily use to, it takes time to adapt, especially if you leaned toward a lot of high fat and sugary foods. The body will make you feel hungry as you are weaning yourself off these foods because it is craving them. No different than a drug addict wanting more drugs, the body for a time will crave the types of food you used to feed it. 

You may also feel hungry even when your body has passed the cravings stage. This happens because the body needs nutrients to properly repair and grow. It is very difficult to provide through normal nutrition everything your body needs when you are under the type of duress a good progressive workout program creates. You can try, but you are not going to be able to feed your body what it needs through food without overeating. With overeating, you wouldn’t be able to put those calories to use, and some may get stored as fat.

The answer to the greater nutritional needs when you are working your body hard is supplements. When your body needs to be fed the appropriate nutrients, supplements should be your best friend. High quality supplements have very few calories and a lot of very well balanced nutrients, plus some supplements have targeted nutrients, which means they’re designed for nutrient efficiency.  The best solution is to utilize a nutrient dense total nutrition shake like Shakeology, and high quality performance nutritionals like the Beachbody Performance Nutrition Line. When you want above average results, you need above average supplements.

Aerobic Exercise Workouts: Top Reasons to Do Them!

Im a cardio junky - not workout makes me feel as great!

What are your top reasons?

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/aerobic-exercise-workouts-top-reasons-to-do-them/#!60

Aerobic Exercise Workouts: Top Reasons to Do Them

Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, Aerobic Exercise Workouts are good for you. Regular aerobic activity can help you live longer and healthier. Need motivation? See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs and blood flow. Then get moving and start reaping the rewards.

HOW DOES YOUR BODY RESPONDS TO AEROBIC EXERCISE WORKOUTS?

During aerobic activity, you repeatedly move large muscle groups in your arms, legs and hips. When you do this you will breathe faster and more deeply. This maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood. Your heart will beat faster, which increases blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs. Small blood vessels (capillaries) also widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. As this is all happening your body will begin to release endorphins, natural painkillers that promote and increase the sense of well-being. What are you waiting for, it is time to get moving!

AEROBIC EXERCISE WORKOUTS: TOP REASONS TO DO THEM!

Aerobic Exercise Workouts are needed by everybody. It may be a bit more difficult at first, but once you get going your body will adapt and you will get stronger and more fit.

Consider the following to see how Aerobic Exercise Workouts can help you feel better and enjoy life to the fullest.

AEROBIC EXERCISE WORKOUTS CAN HELP YOU:

• Keep excess pounds at bay
• Combined with a healthy nutrition plan, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off.
• Increase your stamina
• Boost your mood
• Aerobic exercise may make you tired in the short term, but over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.
• Ward off viral illnesses
• May activate your immune system. This may leave you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
• Reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, certain types of cancer, and more.
• Boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good,” cholesterol, and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad,” cholesterol. This may result in less buildup of plaque in your arteries.
• May help strengthen your heart, keep arteries clear, and control blood sugar. If you have coronary artery disease, aerobic exercise may help you manage your condition.
• It can help ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety, and promote relaxation.
• Helps keep your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older.
• Keeps your mind sharp.
• Increase your longevity

Ready to get more active? How can you not be with all those benefits that Aerobic Exercise Workouts provide? 

Start smart with small steps if you’ve been inactive for a long time or if you have a chronic health condition. When you’re ready to begin exercising, start slowly.  Walking in the morning and evening is a good way to begin. After a few weeks you can step it up to brisk walking or jogging. Those types of Aerobic Exercise have their benefits, but you also want to combine Aerobic Exercise Workouts that provide exercises that move you in multiple directions. This allows your heart rate to gradually increase while training your body to move in many directions. It also strengthens tissues around your joints, which gives them more stability.

Beachbody On-Demand offers a varied selection of Aerobic Exercise Workouts. What’s great about Beachbody On-Demand is there are programs for every fitness level and the programs progress properly. Gradual workout progression can keep you motivated, keep you from boredom, and help prevent injury.

So grab all the benefits of Aerobic Exercise Workouts with the best programs on the market through Beachbody On-Demand!

The 21st Century Entrepreneur Business Model -A Perfect Fit for Snow-Sports Professionals!

The 21^st Century Entrepreneur Business Model-A Perfect Fit for Snow-Sports Professionals

FOR THE LOVE OF TEACHING SKIING…

I LOVE Teaching Skiing!

I love the daily setting that connects my physical/emotional and cognitive aspects (…spirit as well).   I love the amazing community of like-minded, healthy, outgoing and giving professionals all sharing their passion and love for skiing in a breathtaking surrounding. 

I love the opportunity to better ALL my own skill-sets daily while helping others do the same.  For over 38 years, I’ve come to view teaching skiing (as well as training and examining) as a profession of service and yet hugely cathartic.  

I truly get back so much more than I give.

NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES…

Being a Ski-Teaching Professional is not without it's challenges.  I speak honestly when I say that teaching skiing is not the most lucrative profession.   It doesn’t provide us with year round employment and although not-bad wages for doing what I love,  living in resort communities aint cheap! 

The cumulative wear and tear on my body has added up, and I’m really beginning to notice the price my body has paid for a long-career of daily, intense physical activity in an extreme environment.

It has brought me to the realization I can’t keep this pace forever, and I see the need for sustainable, year-long income stream that doesn’t demand so much from my body.

ENTER THE 21st CENTURY ENTREPRENEUR BUSINESS MODEL...

I became a fan of Beachbody’s home-fitness and nutrition programs in the pursuit of maintaining my own wellness and meeting the physical demands of a Snow-Sports Professional.  I was NOT originally a fan however, of the marketing scheme (MLM) and like many had a biased opinion of this marketing methodology.  It wasn’t until I became educated in this 21^st Century form of marketing that I discovered I could convert my passion to a profitable business, choose my business partners and work with a GREAT team.  As a bonus I have continued to improve my own health and fitness,  and I now help 1000's of Beachbody customers change their relationship with their bodies through better nutrition and fitness.

IN PURSUIT OF PURPOSE…

If like me,  you have spent a considerable time in one career path you may be finding it’s time for a change.   Maybe it’s time to combine your passion for fitness and wellness with your experience in coaching people to success all while creating a steady and year-round income. 

Snow Sports Professionals have unique skills and experience to make HIGHLY successful Beachbody Coaches!  I can show you how to successfully leverage the interpersonal and relationship skills you have developed as an Instructor/Coach/Athlete ...to individualizing the wellness experience for your current ski-clientele and  peer coaches as well as your Beachbody Customers.

I will help you convert your success of coaching people in recreational-athletic endeavors to providing lasting lifestyle change in a comprehensive and supportive team environment.

I will provide you with unparalleled support in a team environment that is both challenging and fun, and guide you in coordinated team projects in the development of YOUR own team for lasting results. 

My team hosts monthly a ‘5 day Sneak-Peek’ into Coaching, where we share what we do, how we earn and what we LOVE about being a Team Beachbody Coach.

Learn more here 

The 21st Century Entrepreneur Business Model 

or email me directly JennMetz@tjmetzfitness.com

I dont think I was paying enough attention to washing organics thoroughly - but even organic produce can have pesticide residues (albeit naturally sourced that breakdown easily). Good reminders in this article for safe and healthy food! http://www.gettingfittogether.com/food-safety-tips-you-want-to-know/#!60

Food Safety Tips You Want to Know

Buying good-for-you eats is important, but if you are not aware of Food Safety Tips You Want to Know, you could be impacting your health in a negative way. Lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, dairy, and whole grains are important but understanding food safety is just as important to your health as the good food choices.

KEEP PRODUCE SUPER FRESH

When you come home from the grocery store or farmer’s market, you want to make your tasty loot last more than a day or two. Produce like berries, grapes, asparagus, leafy greens, mushrooms, and summer squash, as well as pre-cut or peeled fruits and vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator. Your refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees F or below. Produce like bananas, citrus, melons, and tomatoes can be safely stored at room temperature, and items like potatoes and onions should be stored in a pantry.

FOOD SAFETY TIPS YOU WANT TO KNOW!

Another produce tip is to clean your produce drawers weekly as they can become germ-ridden from dirt and bacteria that clings to fruits and vegetables. This will keep them from being cross contaminated or contaminated from other bacterial growth.

STORE DAIRY SAFELY

Milk, cheese, and yogurt provide an ideal environment for the make-you-sick microbes to grow if not stored properly. It is also recommend that you shop the dairy aisle last to keep the amount of time kept at room temp to a minimum. Containers of yogurt stay good for 7 to 10 days after the expiration date if you keep the covers closed. So enjoy! Cheese is best kept at 35 to 45 degrees F in a crisper bin that has humidity/temperature controls.

Milk should be stored on fridge shelves instead the door, because temperatures vary when being opened and closed. Plus Milk is another item you can drink up to one week past the sell-by date, as long as you store it on a shelf versus the door.

Butter should never be stored on the counter. Yes I know you like it when its soft, but you won’t like it when I tell you that this increases bacterial contamination. If you need make it spreadable, only take off what you need and let it sit out just prior to use.

EGGS IN THE UNITED STATES BELONG IN THE FRIDGE

Yes, Europeans don’t refrigerate their eggs. This is due to the differences in the practices used to safeguard eggs from salmonella between Europe and the US. We treat eggs to destroy salmonella via pasteurization and in Europe, they vaccinate poultry, among other hygiene measures. So, our eggs have to be store in the fridge. Eggs should also be kept on the shelves, not in the door. Eggs should be used within three to five weeks.

PREPARE EVERYTHING WELL

Rinse all fruits and vegetables, even organic. While rinsing them scrub them with a brush to get all the nooks and crannies. This goes for all fruits and veggies, even the ones where you don’t eat the skin or rind. Cleaning them will keep contamination of your fridge and fruit bowl to a minimum. Plus it keeps the transfer bacteria from the skin into the flesh via your knife.

PREPARE AND COOK MEAT RIGHT

Always pay attention to the date on your meat. Know it even at the butcher counter or shop. Ground meat and poultry is good 1 to 2 days, while steaks/chops/roasts last 3 to 5 days. Refrigerators have meat bins for a reason. Only store meat in those bins. This keeps contamination to a minimum. Never wash or rinse poultry, as it leaves your sink teeming with possible salmonella and other nasty microbes.

Always cook all meat thoroughly. Safely cooked meat can range in color. Therefore, you want to use a thermometer to take the protein’s internal temp: Ground meat (160 degrees F), steak/roast (145 degrees F), chicken and turkey (165 degrees F), and pork (145 degrees F). Lastly never put cooked meat back on the same plate that housed the raw meat prior to cooking.

Finally, remember that research shows that most of us make the critical misstep of washing our hands all wrong. To truly clean your hands and other surfaces you need to wash with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. This is a super-important step in preventing cross-contamination.

Now that you are armed with these Food Safety Tips You Want to Know… Go on, Get Cooking and get eating those healthy foods!

LOVE this article - very grounded in common sense and a comprehensive, sustainable approach to maintaining a healthy weight. Please share! http://www.gettingfittogether.com/creating-a-plan-for-weight-loss-success/#!60

Creating a Plan for Weight Loss Success

Creating a Plan for Weight Loss Success doesn’t have to be difficult or hard. Even if you choose to implement just one or two suggestions as you get started, and then add more down the road you will be on your way to weight loss success. If you do this you will be Creating a Plan for Weight Loss Successand well on your way to a healthier lifestyle with positive changes. 

Here are six suggestions for Creating a Plan for Weight Loss Success.

MAKE A MEAL PLAN, SHOP FOR THE MEAL PLAN, AND PREPARE THE MEAL PLAN

This is very important. This doesn’t mean just make a plan for just the next two or three meals. This means creating a one to two week meal plan that will keep you focused. Whether you plan for one or two weeks depends on how often you want to shop

Yes, planning is necessary! Most people who are lean, healthy, and athletic stick to a meal plan for 90% of their meals. Your meals should be balanced with lean proteins, whole foods, fruits, and vegetables. If you do this consistently the other 10% of the time you can cheat a bit.  You will be able to step off the plan and eat what you want for that day or meal. 

SAMPLE MENU FOR ONE DAY:

Breakfast – 2 eggs, ¾ cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal, 1 small apple or a cup of berries.

Snack – Shakeology Total Nutrition Shake

Lunch – 4-6 oz of Grilled chicken or salmon, 1- 2 cups of asparagus with 1 tsp of lemon olive oil

Snack – 1 cup of raw vegetables and 2 tbsps of hummus

Dinner – 4-6 oz grilled steak, chicken or fish, ½ of a sweet potato or ½ cup cooked lentils, 1 cup of your favorite vegetables, and 1 cup of fruit for dessert or a snack later.

If you can keep a schedule similar to this, 90% of the time with the slight variations in your food choices, you will be on the road to success. 

If you struggle with portion control and/or developing a meal plan then take a look at the Portion Fix Program from Beachbody. This program gives you an amazing meal plan with color coded containers of different sizes by food group so you always know you are getting the right foods in the right amounts.

SUPPLEMENTING YOUR NUTRITION

Many people think supplementation means simply drinking a protein shake. That is actually farthest from the truth.  You could drink protein shakes until you are blue in the face and it will not benefit your body if you aren’t providing your body with total nutrition and if your body has nutrient deficiencies. Guess what? We all have nutrient deficiencies at times. 

The most important factor to keep in mind when choosing a total nutrition shake is that the nutrients are provided by whole natural foods. Many shakes claim this, but it often is not the case. The cleanest and most nutrient dense shake that is highly recommended is Shakeology, with more than 70 healthy ingredients in one glass. Shakeology also helps build and repair muscles, reduces hunger and cravings, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, supports brain function and improves alert thinking, reduces anxiety, and promotes healthy skin, nails, and hair. The list of benefits goes on and on.

PARTICIPATE IN 25-40 MINUTES OF FUNCTIONAL TRAINING/EXERCISE 5-6 DAYS PER WEEK.

Choose an exercise program that you enjoy. The best part is you can make this happen at home and you do not need any big equipment, so there is no need to take an hour to drive to and from the gym,. Depending on what program you choose, you may only need you body weight, a resistance band or two, or  maybe a few dumbbells. Think about it! Get results with workouts that are only 25-40 minutes a day, you don’t have to drive anywhere, and use little to no equipment. Sounds like a dream come true, but it is actually reality. The best programs that fit into this category are Beachbody Programs. Check out the Challenge Packs that are offered for all fitness levels.

Make sure when you purchase your challenge pack that you enter the Beachbody Challenge, take before and after pictures, measurements, and weigh-ins because you can win daily, monthly, and quarterly CASH Prizes, plus have a chance win $100,000.  Oh, and you get a FREE T-Shirt when you finish the program, and a FREE Coach that can help you obtain your goals.

SMART GOALS!

SMART Goals, are goals with a plan! Most of the time people just pick a goal, and then wonder why they failed.  Reason is…”A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish” – Larry Elder.  

You must sit down and write out a minimum of 3 goals using the SMART method and then make an action plan. SMART stands for S=Specific, M=Measurable, A=Attainable, R=Realistic, T=Time Accountable. If you are starting with a 21 day program or working on a program that you committed to for 90 days or more, you definitely can benefit from specific goals. Write down EXACTLY what you want to accomplish for the outcome goals (i.e. Outcome Goal = Lose 10 Pounds), and exactly what actions you have to take for the process goals (i.e. Process Goal = Exercise daily). To take it one step further you can make it into a contract with yourself as well.  Hang your written goals, process, and time destinations where you can read them every day as a reminder and motivator.

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Winging it or going alone rarely works. Your best chance for success is when you follow a professionally designed, structured and proven workout and nutrition program, whether created by an experienced personal trainer and nutritionist or through a premium at-home program. 

Support and accountability are keys to your success, and can come from different sources. Typical support comes from one or more of the following: 

• Nutrition buddy
• Workout partner
• Fat loss accountability buddies or group
• Personal Fitness Coach
• Personal Trainer
• Nutritionist

Research has shown that having someone review what you are doing and staying in contact on a daily basis increases your chance of success. Another study found that when people are in an online accountability group or forum they were more likely to reach their goals in a shorter amount of time.  

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

You have what it takes to reach your goals. All of us will have struggles and failures, that’s just part of the journey.  The thing you need to keep in mind is that little setbacks and failures don’t mean you are not going to reach your goal,rather that you simply need to learn from that moment, evaluate what you have learned, and apply it to a new action so you won’t repeat what didn’t work. Exercise, like life, is about learning and growing.

Remember when you create and implement your own plan for Weight Loss Success to challenge yourself, and have fun. The results will come.

Working out with music is SO much fun. Cant help but workout more vigorously to the inspiring music of Rodrigo & Gabriella (my FAV!) ;-) ;-)

What is on YOUR playlist? 

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/music-may-help-your-exercise-results/#!60

Music May Help Your Exercise Results

Music May Help Your Exercise Results because it has a very powerful effect on the brain. Studies have found that certain songs can stimulate memory and emotions. The studies have also found that both  reactions may also be directly linked to the lyrics.

If music can make you feel certain emotions, is it possible that Music May Help Your Exercise Results? Absolutely! A study done at Fairleigh Dickinson University followed a group of moderately obese women for six months. Half could choose their music when working out, and half could not listen to music. The women that listened to music lost an average of 16 pounds, and were much more likely to adhere to their workouts. The women who could not listen to music lost an average of 8 pounds, and were only 68% (as compared to 98%) adherent to their exercise routine. Though the numbers aren’t dramatic, the results are still significant.

From this study you can say Music May Help Your Exercise Results. We also may say that music is effective at distracting the participants from the negative elements of exercise, such as muscle fatigue, heavy breathing, and sweating. Music also helps the time go by. Since music is typically associated as pleasurable, listening to music when you exercise may stimulate the brain onto pleasurable thoughts.

MUSIC MAY HELP YOUR EXERCISE RESULTS

Another study, published in the Scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports, studied a small group of male cyclists and found that the degree of effort they exerted correlated with the speed of the music to which they listened. You may have noticed this when you are taking a spin class, or biking and running outside.

The correct Music May Help Your Exercise Results by setting the pace, and making you push yourself a little harder without even noticing.

Since Music May Help Your Exercise Results, here are some music suggestions when doing cardio, lifting weights, or practicing yoga.

CARDIO EXERCISE

Brunel University professor Dr. Coastas Karageoghis discovered that when runners listened to music they liked, their performance increased up to 15%.

What type of Music May Help Your Exercise Results when doing cardio? Cyclers could start with songs with 100–120 beats per minute (bpm). Runners could start with songs 150–170 bpm depending on your pace. Dial the tempo up or down to find what works best for you. That is why CIZE It Up is such a great program. You are exercising and don’t even really think about it because of the music and the moves. Your brain is engaged and you are moving and grooving.

WEIGHT LIFTING

When weight lifting you want music that’s more intense and invigorating. Another key factor in your choice is to choose music with lyrics that get you and keep you pumped up. A study from York St. John University found that when listening to music with uplifting lyrics, participants were able to hold a 2.4-lb. weight out in front of them for 10% longer. P90X and other weight training programs often have music that is set to 128 bpm. This type of music will keep you in a rhythm for lifting.  You also don’t want music that is too fast either. This could cause you to move too quickly, and the distraction could cause injury. 

STRETCHING, BALANCE WORK, AND YOGA

Cool downs or programs like yoga call for slower music. This more moderate rate allows the heart rate to sync with the body for proper stretching. When you are trying to relax, you want to decrease the amount of beats in the music below 120 bpm. When doing meditative type yoga or stretching, you want to bring it down even more and use songs that are between 60–90 bpm.

No matter what songs, genres, decade, or source of music you select, just remember Music May Help Your Exercise Results if you choose well. So find your favorite songs that fit each style of exercise and bring on better results.