Powerful Mind = Powerful Body

 I have always been a firm believer in the power of ones mind. What you put out directly correlates with what you will reap. For example you wake up in the morning and think “$*#*, It’s another Monday”. Most likely it will be a crappy Monday. You wake up and think “Let’s start this week off amazing”! I bet you have a great day and a great week!  I want to explore some ways to enrich your life by just changing the way you think.

 Ever heard the saying “mind over matter”? There is a whole lot of truth behind that saying. When you’re working out are you constantly thinking this is so hard or I can not do another set? Try this out try thinking I got this or my personal favorite that I honestly use all the time is “This is not the hardest thing I have ever had to do”! When you start really breaking down what your doing down to the minute or set, you can really start tricking your brain. When you’re glaring at the timer on the treadmill and there is only 5 minutes left, think about how quick 5 minutes is rather than how long. Think about all the simple tasks you can do in 5 minutes and how 5 minutes is nothing!  Mind over matter, right? If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

·                                 Increased life span

·                                 Lower rates of depression

·                                 Lower levels of distress

·                                 Greater resistance to the common cold

·                                 Better psychological and physical well-being

·                                 Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease

·                                 Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

The theory is that positive and optimistic people more often then not lead healthier lifestyles. They tend to be more physically active, don’t drink or smoke. Negativity is contagious so work on surrounding yourself with positive people. Keep your head up shoulders back and never give up. Find what drives you and don’t loose your sights.  When you give up you're letting someone else win, don’t give them the satisfaction.

"If I think I can, even if I don't have necessarily the ability to do it, I may actually do it. And, if I think I can't, given that I have the ability to do so, I'm likely not going to do it."( www.asep.org/node/64)

Kick Boxing = Kick A$$ Workout

 Kick boxing is a total body workout. According to a study by the ACE, you can burn anywhere from 350 to 450 calories an hour with kickboxing! It involves both the muscles of the upper and lower body, as well as the core, you get a great all-around workout in a short amount of time.

 When first starting out, take it easy when you kick and punch. Get yourself used with your stance first before you go all-out. Focus on your feet and hips to allow you to gain greater core stability. A big mistake that can be made with beginners is to punch through your arms rather than punching through your whole body. For instance a jab should not just be your arm moving, you should be stepping into the punch and have your abs drawn in. Take the time to really learn proper form; it will make your workout way more efficient. 

 Here is an awesome 10 minute kickboxing video to give a try. Make sure you have a proper warm up before hand since there isn't much of one on this video. The 1st one is for beginners and the 2nd is advanced.





Increase Endurance

 Are you sick of feeling sluggish? Do you find yourself doing simple tasks and getting winded? Increasing your endurance can help your stamina, strength and state of mind. The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines endurance as “the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity”. I want to help you meet your endurance goals with these great tips.

One thing I always try to remind my clients is to make realistic goals. If you have never ran a race before don't decide you want to run a half marathon in 3 weeks and expect to have great results. When training your endurance try not to focus on how far you ran, rather focus on keeping the same pace and how long you run. Then slowly increase how long you run.

Sprint training is amazing for endurance. One study found that just six sessions of four to seven all-out thirty-second sprints (with four minutes of recovery between sprints) could be as effective at improving cardiovascular fitness as an hour of daily moderate-level aerobic exercise. Give these sprint drills a try:

• 2x500 meters
• 3x400 meters
• 4x300 meters
• 1x500, 1x400, 1x300 meters

Here are some tips from www.muscle-fitness-tips.net

·  Go harder, faster, and longer every time. Just be sure to push yourself harder every time or everyday. However, if increasing your difficulty doesn't work well for you then just push yourself harder weekly instead of daily.

·  Incorporate cardiovascular exercises (Cardio) into your weekly routines. It helps pump your heart rate to increase stamina.

·  Mix up your routines. Doing the same routines everyday is one of the ways that won't help you build endurance.

·  Use hills to for your workout programs. Running on flat land gets boring and your body gets used to it, work harder by pushing your body to workout on hills.

·  Completely stop drinking carbonated drinks as in soda's because it will decrease your stamina and dehydrate your body. Therefore, causing cramps and etc.

 Taking all this into consideration the best thing you can do is to never give up. The only way you can fail is to not try. I have heard so many times “I am so embarrassed, I used to be in a lot better shape.” The only reason why anyone should be embarrassed is if you just give up. Remember you control your body, it doesn’t control you!  Now get out there work hard, sweat & stay positive!

Look Better Naked

Photo: Pixland/Thinkstock

Do you workout to live a long healthy life? Sure. Do you workout to look good in the buff? Heck yeah! Let’s be real, living a long healthy life is a by product of what drives us to workout. Looking amazing in your swimsuit, lingerie or even your everyday clothes is what really motivates us to go hard in the gym. Here are some tips on how to look better naked in a week!

·        Drink a gallon of water a day. This helps flush all the sodium and toxins out of your system. Yes, I do realize you will be spending more time in the restroom but now you have a real excuse to leave your desk.

·        Consume 5-6 small meals a day. Your metabolism is like a fire. If you feed the fire too much (eat too much food) the fire will get smothered and go out. If you don’t feed the fire enough (eat very little) the fire will go out. If you feed that fire a log ever couple hours (eating 5-6 small meals a day) you can keep that fire burning as long as you need.

·        Do some form of cardio for 30-45 minutes four times a week.

·        Try out high-intensity interval training. It is great for getting your heart rate up while also strength training. Include compound movements so that you’re working more muscles at once. For example squat press which is where you do a box squat with a shoulder press.

·        Avoid sodium enriched food and fried foods.

Fall Fitness Fashion 2011

From left to right:

·        Hard Tail 'Empire' Back Cutout Tank $64.00 (http://www.nordstroms.com/ )

·        Women's Active Compression Jackets Regular Price $44.94 (http://www.oldnavy.com/ )

·        Women's Originals adicolor Trefoil Tee $20.00 ( http://www.adidas.com/ )

·        VS Knockout Sports Bra $44.50(http://www.victoriassecret.com/ )

·         Nike LunarFly + 2 $80.00 ( http://www.zappos.com/ )

·        Casio 'G-Shock 6900 Glide Tidegraph' Watch$99.00(http://www.nordstroms.com/ )

·        Himalaya Handbag $100.00 ( http://www.puma.com/ )

·        Nike Low-Rise Capri Running pant $55.00 (http://www.dillards.com/)