Your Summer Body: Cutting Body Fat and Building Lean Muscle

Everyone it is time...to start getting in shape for SUMMER! Beginning a new diet and training regiment NOW will be a great idea if you are trying to attain that beach body, or perhaps actually follow through with your new years resolution to get in shape. To do this, one thing is required of you--COMMITMENT.

Here is how you start:

Change your diet:

- You can lose significant amounts of body fat by simply changing what you eat and when you eat.

• Eat a big breakfast with foods such as eggs and other lean proteins. Kashi cereals are also a very smart choice as they have a great source of energy, protein and fiber.
• Eat a large lunch to provide you with energy and good carbs. My best suggestion and proven method is making a plate with a mountain (seriously) of fruit and vegetables. You can also throw in some slices of cheese for variety. Chop up your fruit and veggies. I would reccommend:

-Red, yellow, and orange peppers (green peppers are not very flavorful).

- Carrots

- Apples

- Kiwis

- Bananas

- And if you are truly dedicated- Brocolli

• Greek yogurt is also an awesome choice. It is scientifically proven that eating one serving of yogurt per day lowers body fat, and Greek yogurt is ideal because of its low fat and sugar contents as well as its high level of protein--> usually around 15 grams.
• As far as beverages Green Tea is proven to increase metabolism because of its high levels of antioxidants (EGCG)
• Acai juice if you can purchase it.
• Most importantly : DRINK A LOT OF WATER. Water helps flush toxins and fats out of your body before they can be stored!
• Lower- your consumption of SUGAR, which is direct cause of body fat % increases. Also beware of SATURATED fats.
• As for dinner consume lean proteins. Wheat pasta is also a good choice.

More coming on a Workout Regiment. For now refer to " 500 rep abs" included in the blog.

Fit Before 50: Your Plan of Action Now!

The Process

-First and foremost, your mind will be the most important contributor to your success. Therefore, before you do anything, make goals-not one big goal i.e. "I want to lose 50 pounds in two months", but instead, smaller progressive goals which will lead to a big result such as, "I will lose two pounds this week and follow a healthy diet" or "I will increase my energy level from this week to the next with a 5 minute-a-day increase on the treadmill/elliptical machine". Also, realize that in order to achieve, you must be dedicated, determined and passionate towards your goals. Get excited about getting fit!

-A "diet": When you heard "diet" you thought, "Oh no..." right? Well don't think that. Yes the "diet" thing does go right along with the "mind" concepts mentioned above, but it shouldn't be a depressing part of your life. Try different foods (healthy) and find ones you like-they are out there! Here are some healthy tips and alternatives:

• Bye bye sodas...and other high sugar beverages. Sodas are bad. I don't care what kind, diet or not, sodas are body fat accelerators. Realize that beverages are probably the easiest thing to consume--make this an advantage rather than disadvantage. Sweet tea...(sweetened with sugar) is also one thing you should avoid. You ask, "Well then what?"---> Green tea is great for you (fights cancer and enhances metabolism) if you must have it sweet, use honey.


• Vegetables are good, vegetables are great, vegetables will help you lose some weight...and make you healthier overall. The more color, the better.


• Meat is great too, but the kind you select makes all the difference. No fried nothin'. High protein, moderation in carbohydrates, low saturated fat is what you want. Get creative-combine meats and vegetables.


• Plain yogurt is great, even more so when you add granola and fruit.

• Watch out for saturated fats.

The Workout

- The Fit Before 50 Workout has two main goals.

1. Increase energy levels using various intensities in cardio workouts.
2. Gain both flexibility and strength in your pillars of strength: the shoulders, hips, knees, and core.

There is one main routine that can be broken down into two separate workouts.
Warm-up: 15 minutes on a bike, treadmill, or elliptical machine at a moderate pace or a hill interval if the equipment you use has that option. Breaking a sweat is a sign that you are properly warmed-up. Next, you need to go through several stretches which you will want to make progressive improvements every workout. Hold each stretch for a count of 15.

• Hamstring stretch: Hands to toes keeping a straight back.
• Quadricep stretch: Pull each leg to the buttocks of the leg being stretched. Keep the leg parallel to your other leg-do not let it bow out.
• Arm/shoulder stretch: Bring each arm across the body so that it is perpendicular to your upper torso
• Seated Stretches: Butterflies- feet together, bring them in, and press your legs down gently. V Stretch- chin to each knee and or reach hands to toes, then reach hands between your legs(this will also stretch the groin muscle)
• Calf Stretch of your choice: I suggest putting your toes on an elevated surface and stretching your heel towards the ground (one foot at a time)
  

For those of you who are runners...being able to run distance is great BUT, running is not enough. When you run, your bones and joints absorb most of the impact, and yes, your muscles are trained in a certain way, though not in a way that provides enough support for your joints. Here is an essential strengthening program for YOU:

Leg Press(not incline!): 4 sets x 12 reps

If you do not have access to a leg press machine do Back Squats with enough weight that will provide medium difficulty: 4 sets x 15,12,10,8

-Be sure to use proper form on squats: legs parallel to the floor, shoulder width stance back straight, eyes looking up

Leg raises and hamstring curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
-on these, you need to focus on using a full range of motion and controlled movement throughout the lift.

The Complete workout:

Bench press: 3 sets x 10,8,6 reps

Dumbbell rows: 3 sets x 10 reps alternate arms
- do not curve your back and keep your arms close to your body as you perform this exercise

Frontal and Lateral shoulder raises with dumbbells: 2 sets x 15 reps

Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets x 8 reps medium difficulty on weight

Lat. Pull downs: 3 sets x 8 reps

Leg Press(not incline!): 4 sets x 10 reps

If you do not have access to a leg press machine do Back Squats with enough weight that will provide medium difficulty: 4 sets x 10,8, 6, 4

-Be sure to use proper form on squats: legs parallel to the floor, shoulder width stance back straight, eyes looking up

Leg raises and hamstring curls: 3 sets x 10 reps
-on these, you need to focus on using a full range of motion and controlled movement throughout the lift.

Abdominals: 2 sets x 50 crunches on swiss ball

Flutter kicks: 3 sets x 35

Reverse crunch (on ground): 2 sets x 20

10 minute cool down on Bike, treadmill or elliptical

If you are on a strict time schedule, break up the complete workout into an upper body workout and a lower body workout

Questions? Comments? I want to hear them.

Train for Power: Core and Lower Body

To anybody who loves those workouts where you wake up the next day feeling like you actually did something--here's a good one your legs.

Front Squats
Set x Reps 3x10,8,6

Note: Front Squats may not be the most popular of moves, but they are certainly effective. They demand a much stronger center of balance. The core is trained more opposed to the traditional back squat because a large portion of the muscles being used to support the weight are recruited from the core. Don't worry so much about weight. Focus on proper form: getting a good deep squat, while maintaining a straight back.

Back Squats
Sets x Reps 3x10,8,8

Overhead Squats
Sets x Reps 3x8

Romanian Deadlifts (dumbbell or barbell) OR Deadlifts (regular)
Sets x Reps 3x10 Sets x Reps 3x10

Finish this workout with a 10 minute jog. And be sure to STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!-you'll be glad you did.

Sleep: The Free and Easy Way to Train Your Body and Mind

If you're missing out on a few z's, you might be missing out on getting better-at everything. I'm not just saying that sleep will make you more mentally alert, which it will--I'm saying that sleep will help aid muscle growth and recovery, increase athletic performance, and enable your mind to better retain information. If you are weight training, endurance running etc., you are cheating yourself--you are limiting your potential. But wait, there's more! Lack of sleep also weakens your willpower because your body and mind are both tired. This will lead to a less intense workout and an inability to workout with high intensity. Yes, of course, there will be some times when you're going to miss out on sleep, but it is very important to sleep more when you can-especially before athletic events (games, meets, etc.). The recommended amount of sleep is 8 hours. Add "sleeping more" to your new years resolutions-it will help you get that better body and happier mind.

Workouts: Core Stability

Often one of the most neglected dimensions of fitness, core stability can be quite beneficial to the body. When I'm talking about core stability, you instantly think abs. Not necessarily. Core stability does work the abs, but it also incorporates many of your pillars of strength--shoulders, glutes, hamstrings etc. Yes, you are focusing on your abs, but you will also be using and building other muscles at the same time. Creating a great center of balance is probably the best benefit of core stabilization. It will also blast body fat. Here's the workout.

You will only need three things: a swiss ball (fitness, yoga), a 5 lb dumbbell, and a good floor.

Ab Activation Warm-Up
25 swiss ball crunches
25 reverse crunches
(this will engage your ab muscles making it easier to brace them later in the workout)

Core Stability Workout
Raised leg push-ups 4 sets of 15- regular push-up, the only difference is that one leg is elevated about 12-18 inches above the other leg. Keep this leg locked out. Alternate legs every set until 2 sets are performed with each leg for a total of 4 sets.

Single leg squats 4 sets of 10 (2 per leg)- Maintain a straight posture while performing these just like you would a regular squat. There are a couple things you can do for support with this move if needed. One is that it helps some to hold a weight (5 lb dumbbell will work fine) in front of them while performing this move. Another is to have a bench or a chair(preferably one where you can sit down and have your feet touching the floor while, at the same time, have your legs perpendicular to the floor. When you become comfortable with this move, try bracing your core all the way through every set.

Side planks 4 sets of 40 seconds (2 per side)- to make this move even more challenging, raise your (top) leg for the last 15 seconds of the move.

Front Planks 2 sets of 45 seconds- brace/tighten your abs!

X-Planks with alternating arm raise for 80 seconds alternate arms every 10 seconds- like the name of the exercise suggests, your body is like an X. Get up in push-up position- with arms and legs spread out to make an X shape. The arms to not have to be wide but the legs do. Keeping a straight, flat back and a tight core, raise each arm shoulder parallel to the floor at shoulder level.

Swiss ball push-ups- This is the same as a regular push-up-just on a swiss ball. Focus on a smooth motion. Steady on the upward part. Slow and controlled on the downward part. Squeeze the shoulders blades together at the bottom of the move. Oh and I almost forgot- keep those abs tight!

- This is a very basic yet challenging workout. There are many more exercises which I will include in a modified workout which will be coming soon...

Attitude: Staying postive regardless of the circumstance

I am currently doing an internship at a physical therapy and sports medicine practice. My first day was a great experience, as I was mostly observing and taking notes. What really struck me that day was a woman, whom we will call Donna, who has progressive Multiple Sclerosis(MS). I was given a little background on Donna: 1. She has been a patient there for four years getting exercise and stretching to fight her MS. 2. She has already exceeded her life expectancy because of her resilient actions. A lot can be attributed to her great attitude. She went through various exercises and stretches (most of her exercises are done with a stability( swiss, yoga) ball to help her with balance as she does things such as overhead dumbbell extensions). She ALWAYS was smiling despite her obvious pain and frail body. She NEVER complained.--Now take that in.
Another woman was in there too, but she was...a much different situation. First of all, she was only dealing with rehab for a mild shoulder injury. We were focusing on getting back her range of motion(flexibility) and strength. This woman complained the whole time-and was bitter! "Why do I have to do this?" etc, etc.--never smiled once.
While she was being a disgruntled patient, to put it nicely, Donna was going through every single exercise with no complaints. Interesting right? One case we have a woman who is in a situation where, if she does her exercises, she gets full use of her arm again. Wheras on the other hand, we have a woman that has no chance at recovery, but shes doing everything she can to keep her body in good enough shape to allow her to continue to live.
Always bring a postive attitude with you--wherever you go, whatever happens to you--have one! Its free, it doesn't weigh anything, and not only will it show incredible character, but it will also improve life for YOU.
This can also be an example of control. Donna cannot control what happens to her, but she can- and is, for that matter- controlling what goes on inside her, which is a positive attitude. The other woman did not exemplify good control. She wanted an external solution for her shoulder. We can't lift those weights for her. It has to be her decision-her action-to help her shoulder recover.

Life Lessons: Control

A common, but innocent human failure is our perspective on control. We often focus on things that are bigger than we are instead of realizing what we can control--ourselves. There are many things in life that will take place around you. What we usually fail to focus on is what happens within. We can control our attitudes and actions. When we do this, it is likely that the problems we tried to fix on the outside will now be solved because of what we have done for ourselves inside. Remember: You can always control what happens within you, but the same cannot be said for what happens around you.