Breaking Down Your Workouts

Do you go to the gym every day and think, "what am I going to do today" which usually ends up with a couple sit-ups and 10 minutes on the treadmill then home to a bear-claw? Here is a simple way to help you break down your work-outs to make your time at the gym more effective.

1)       Know your own time table

a)      If you are busy at work or at home with the kids make sure you set your time limit in the gym. Most gyms have child care that will last about 2 hours (I know Gold’s only does 90 minutes. Check with your gym’s day care). If you only have an hour before work, schedule for a 40 min workout and use the gym’s locker rooms and showers to get ready for work.

2)       Work with your children

a)      Make sure you have all the needs of your child met before you go. Make sure they have eaten before you leave so they will not be grumpy while there. Bring an extra change of diapers and cloths just in case and have a snack available since most day cares do not provide food. Some will allow bottles sippies if the child is still little, make sure to ask before bringing food or liquid into the day care.

3)       Know what your goals are.

a)      If you are short on time, striving to only lose weight and love to do aerobic classes then set the time only for that aerobic time. You can leave the classes early. The instructor will not get mad at you for leaving early if you need to. I personally want to focus on strength and power training so I set aside time only to work on those needs.

4)       Break down on a day to day basis

a)      I have a personal schedule that goes:

Monday-biceps back
Tuesday- Legs and hips
Wednesday-Rest
Thursday-Triceps and chest
Friday- Power
Saturday-Active rest (running, hiking, swimming, gardening)
Make up your own weekly schedule according to your specific needs.

5)       Find what you love

a)      Love water aerobics, biking, lifting, circuit, or any other kinds of workouts? Then do them! There are a wide variety of trainers with specific skill sets and classes that offer a wide variety of workouts. Do what you love and keep at it.

6)       Don’t compare

a)      There is a weird perception that you need to workout for at least 2 hours a day in the gym. This is a false idea. I am able to achieve my workouts within an easy 30 minute time set. If you have things planned out for you in the gym and you finish it quickly (and of course correctly) than you do not need to worry. I may be a personal trainer, but I am not a gym rat. I do not feel comfortable sitting in the gym for more than an hour at a time. If you do have a workout that last 2 hours than good for you. Do it.

Hope these help you stay in the gym longer without wandering around aimlessly. It will give you confidence and assurance of what you are meant to go to next. Have fun in the gym today!

Back Problem Solved

Here is my favorite stretch of all time. It is called the figure four stretch or the piriformis stretch. I have not had back problems since I started doing this stretch every day. Considering how active I am and all the sports I participate in, no pain in the back is a good thing. It also pertains to every day life. It is no fun to lean over and grab your child or phone and have your back suddenly tweek. Give this stretch a try.

Top things to notice, his ankle is resting on his knee. He grabs behind his knee and pulls it toward his head. Rest your head when your legs are comfortable. You should feel this stretch on gluts.
To simplify this exercise grab your pants or wrap a towel behind your knee and pull it closer to you that way.

Bri's Keys to lose weight

Everyone gives you all this crap about how to lose weight. I myself have my own blog about it! Through all my searching and all the questions I have answered I have found there are 4 basic things you can do to lose those extra pounds.

1. drink water
2. eat right portions
3. exercise
4. home made meals
5. vegetables

These basics will help you lose weight and maintain the weight loss. Remember them and you will have a healthy life and a good time.

Circut training workout

This is a Bob Harper workout that he designed in Women's Magazine. Just because it is in a Women's Magazine does not mean men can not give it a shot. It is really a brutal workout. 

Since it has the Bob Harper insignia of "I am going to kill you on the first go", I am going to simplify it for you for the initial set. First of all cut all the reps in half (ex. 30 to 15, 25 to 12 etc.). This only applies to the FIRST time you go through it. Push through it. Try to take as few breaks as possible. Do this every day. With each new day add on 4-5 reps or each exercise to the half you cut till you reach the actual amount of reps. Then add another set until you do all this work out 3 times with a 3 minute break in between each set. Prepare yourself for a really rough workout and enjoy it!

Skaters: Cross your right leg behind your left leg as you bend your left knee into a half-squat position. Extend your left arm out to the side, and swing your right arm across your hips (a). Hop a few feet directly to the right, switching the position of your legs and arms (b). That's one rep. Continue hopping from side to side, without pausing or resetting your feet, until you’ve completed 30 reps on each side.

Single-Arm Hang Snatch: Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with an overhand grip, and bend at your hips and knees to squat down until the weight is just below your knees (a). In a single movement, bend your arm, raise your elbow as high as you can, and try to raise the dumbbell toward the ceiling as quickly as possible (b). Allow your forearm to rotate up and back from the momentum, until your arm is straight and your palm is facing forward (c). Return to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps, then repeat on the other side.

Burpies: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides (a). Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body as deep as you can into a squat, placing your hands on the floor in front of you (b). Kick your legs backward, so that you’re now in a pushup position (c). Quickly reverse the movement to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do 50.
Make it harder: Instead of kicking your legs straight back, work your obliques harder by kicking your legs out to the right, then the left. Alternate sides with each rep.

Prisoner Squats: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your fingers on the back of your head, pulling your elbows and shoulders back and sticking your chest out (a). Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees, keeping your torso upright and your core tight (b). Pause, then slowly push yourself back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 50.

Mountain Climber: Start in a pushup position with your arms completely straight and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles (a). Lift your right foot off the floor and slowly raise your knee as close to your right elbow as possible, without changing your lower-back posture (b). Return to the starting position. That's one rep. Repeat with the other leg, and continue alternating until you've completed 25 reps on each side. 

Weighted Turkish Getups: Lie faceup with your legs straight, holding a dumbbell in your left hand with your arm straight above your chest (a). Keeping your eye on the dumbbell the entire time, roll onto your right side and prop yourself up on your right elbow (b) and place your left foot flat on the floor (c). Push yourself into a kneeling position (d), while keeping your arm straight and the dumbbell above you at all times, and stand up (e). Once standing, reverse the movement to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do 15, then repeat on the other side. 

Lunge Jumps: Stand with your feet together, arms bent by your sides, and lunge forward with your right foot (a). Jump straight up off the floor, swinging your arms forward, switching legs in midair, like a scissor (b). Land in a lunge with your left leg forward (c). That’s one rep. Continue alternating back and forth with each repetition until you’ve completed 25 reps on each side. 

T-Pushup: Get in plank position and lower your chest toward the floor (a). As you push back up, lift your right arm off the floor and straighten it as you rotate your torso to the right until you're balancing on your left hand and your right hand is pointing toward the ceiling (b). Return to plank position. That's one rep. Do another pushup, then rotate to the left. Continue alternating until you’ve completed 15 reps on each side.

Line Jumps

This workout is useful for those who need to quicken their feet movement. It is also a great workout for those who need to strengthen their ankles. Only do this with one foot if you can stand on one leg for more then 30 seconds without falling. Otherwise do it with two feet as shown on the last section on this video.

This exercise takes little space and raises your heart rate quickly. It is fantastic for those who have the excuse, I can't afford or go to the gym. All you need is a line which can be made with tape or the crack in your side walk (don't step on it or you will break your mother's back).
Start at 30 jumps with each leg and with both legs (ex. left leg 30, right leg 30, both legs 30) then move it up to 60 jumps. Get that heart pumping and shed those pounds.

Gardening....Exercising and nutrition!

So you see the little old grannies out in their gardens making flowers grow, pulling out some fresh new vegetable, and meticulously searching for bugs and weeds. Is this really exercise? They are not pulling any dumb bells over their heads. They are not running on that treadmill with a grade of 8 and going 7 mph. How can weeding and tilling, and trimming really be exercise?
A study done in Iowa State University pulled out calorie counting for the more strenuous activities of gardening for 30 minutes.

• Digging Holes - Men: 197 calories, Women: 150 calories
• Planting - Men: 177 calories, Women: 135 calories
• Weeding - Men: 157 calories, Women: 156 calories 

You burn about 160 calories from riding a bike at a leisurely pace for 30 minutes. Now what exactly do you get out of that? A sore butt? How about with gardening you can get a fresh, organic strawberry batch and a sore butt? Sounds better to me! (yum...strawberries)

I have been doing a lot of studying of how to garden from a bunch of books my grandparents gave me. I have started my organic mulch pile from my fruit peels, leaves, and grass clippings. No artificial anything is my goal to keep the good nutrition of the natural earth in my families diet. I will update you on the physical exertion and result of my garden when it gets to growing season.

According to my books, if you want to have your garden ready for the summer you should start prepping for it now. GOOD LUCK! GO ORGANIC!

Caffeine to knows

Caffeine is an interesting substance that has become the "pick me up". It is found in a cup of coffee (about 60-100 mg per 4 oz) a can of certain sodas (40-45 mg per 11oz cup), tea (30-60 mg per 4 oz), an energy drink can have more than 200 mg per 12 oz. So what do these numbers mean? This chart shows a comparison of the amount of caffeine compared to each substance in a 4 oz serving. Something to take note of is the energy drink was just an average. The FDA does not regulate the amount of caffeine in an energy drink.


Like most things, there is a point of tolerance with caffeine. Meaning more must be consumed in order for the affects to work; however there is always a breaking point.There is such things as a toxicity level with caffeine. The RDA says the toxicity level of caffeine in humans is dependent on weight and individual sensitivity and estimated to be about 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram of body mass. That is about 100 cups of coffee for a normal adult. Therefore, unless you have a long night and an endless amount of coffee I think once can assume safety from toxic levels of caffeine.

Caffeine is not as bad as some people crack it up to be. It is a diuretic which means it allows you to urinate more. It allows the amount of blood pumping through your system to move faster moving more waste out (although with most drinks you are simply putting more junk in). It is also a legal form of a psychoactive drug (others include alcohol, tobacco and other illicit drugs). It has been shown to increase concentration and alertness (strange considering it is a staple in every college students diet).

The negatives are as follows: heart arithmias, nervousness, increase blood pressure, stomach problems, irritability, hormone problems, negative affects on blood sugar levels, and a few more. All of these are acute and will go away if the amount of caffeine consumed is decreased. A side affect of decreasing caffeine intake, especially if you have been taking it for a long time, is withdrawls. Your body will detox just as it would with alcohol and give you about the same symptoms. Caffeine has shown to give problems to fetus's and children, however it is not been proven to cause problems, so it is really a good precaution to avoid over consumption of caffeine during those times.

References:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/rm-quiz-caffeine-myths
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600
http://www.kantonslabor-bs.ch/files/infos/e_coffeinkaffee.pdf
http://jap.physiology.org/content/85/1/154.full
http://www.pe2000.com/caffeine.htm

Women, Man Up!

It has always been said that women are delicate flowers who are meant to be in the kitchen. Females in our modern society are no longer looked down upon as servants. They have a blessed opportunity to participate in anything and everything thanks to those who fought for freedoms and rights in the past. Why not take advantage of that hard work that the women of old have given and "man up"?
All across America women are joining a relatively new league called the WFA which stand for the Women's Football Association. This is not just flag football or the rather distasteful bikini football. This is the real deal; helmets, pads and all.
http://utblitz.com/
This link is to the team that I play for. Check them out and see if you would rather do this, or sit on a spin bike. Personally I would choose the mud, sweat, and teamwork of a group who will support you.
GO BLITZ

10 for 10

I have developed this short term program that teaches the importance to goal making. I call it 10 for 10. What is represents is 10 pounds or 10 cm by the 10th month. The program starts in September 1st and ends October 31 (Halloween).
RULES :

NO CRASH DIETS! NO WEIGHT LOSE PROGRAMS (Such as HCG)
GET DR. PERMISSION FIRST
The first thing that must be done(after doctors approval) is a weigh in or a circumference check. You only do one or the other.
Weight:
Weight is simple. Get a scale. Any kind works. I prefer the old fashion kind. Just make sure the scale is calabrated to read "0" before hopping on.
Write that weight some where you will always see it. (I write it on my mirror in my bathroom)
Circumference Check:
This is a little more tricky. Get a fabric measuring tape (found most often in sewing sections). You will measure 3 sections of the body. Write these measurement somewhere you will always be able to find it. (Again bathroom mirrors are a great place since you are in there at least once a day.)

1. BUST (about nipple line)
2. WAIST (navel line)
3. HIPS (Widest part of hips)

Make sure to check either weight or Circumference at least once a week. Check at the same time every day. EX. I check in the morning every Saturday at 9. Your weight fluctuates throughout the day so keep it consistent.
Weight you want to lose 10 lbs.
Circumference you want to lose a total of 10 cm (or inches if you really want to push yourself hard) between all three measurements. EX. Original measurements B:42 W:37 H:42......Oct 31 B:40 W:34 H:39....Total loss 8 inches

Exercise Requirements:

For this program I like to have you be the judge of what is the best way to lose weight.

Some Math:
From Sept 1 to Oct 31 is ten weeks. That is 1 pound or 1 inch/cm per week.




Think it is Hard and what are the Benefits?
Truth be told, it is VERY hard. But you are not alone. I started this program September 1 starting at 172. Now after much dedication I have lost my 10 pounds and weigh 162. It was not easy and there were sacrifices, but I feel better about myself and my appearance thanks to my hard work and dedication.
Benefits are a better lifestyle choice that is easily monitored from a week to week basis. If you did not lose your pounds for the week, tweak what you are doing to better next week.

Shed those inches and live a better life.
If I can do it, so can you! Send me pictures at brianne.ballard.fitness@gmail.com.