Fit in Working Out While Traveling

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How to fit in working out while traveling

A vacation can do wonders for reducing stress levels, but it can derail a healthy fitness regimen. Even some of the most die-hard exercisers find it difficult to stick with it and fit in working out while traveling. Sure, many have good intentions. They may even pack their workout attire. Unfortunately, their gear never makes it out of the suitcase until they’re back home.

But travel from home doesn’t have to result in an interruption or complete abandonment of your healthy habits. You can still fit in exercise time when away from home, regardless of whether you find yourself in a warm or a cold climate. Even if bad weather forces you into seclusion in your hotel room, there are exercises you can complete without a single piece of equipment.

Below are some tips to help you stay fit in working out while traveling and avoid coming home with unwanted extra baggage.

Be realistic. You probably won’t be able to fit in your normal weekly workouts and that’s okay. Shoot for completing at least 50% of your normal regimen.

Plan ahead. Before leaving town, find out what type of workout facilities your accommodations will have or take your home workouts that you easily do on the road like Insanity or Turbo Fire.

Scope out local gyms. If you are staying somewhere that doesn’t provide a workout area then inquire at the nearby local fitness centers for their rates. Often they offer day passes for minimal fees.
Pack a resistance band in your suitcase. The band takes up very little space, yet can provide you with an entire upper and lower body workout routine.
Don’t deprive yourself of all local delicacies. You can enjoy some special meals without going overboard. Ask the restaurants to prepare your favorite dishes with a few lower fat ingredients.

Be creative. Find unique, fun ways to exercise instead of doing the same routine you do when you are at home. Try biking, hiking, a pedal boat excursion, water-skiing, beach volleyball, etc. Effective workouts aren’t limited to the standard fares of walking, jogging and fitness machines.

Try out your travel routine at least once at home. A new workout that you’ve never done before will require more time and preparation. This type of frustration just makes for an easy excuse to skip the workout.
Prepare snacks. If your journey includes a lot of time in the car, be sure to pack some healthy snacks so you aren’t forced to eat at all the fast food and convenience shops along the way.

Play in the pool. If lounging poolside is part of your vacation plans, then hop in the pool every 20 minutes for 5-10 minutes of pool walking (try it in waist-deep or higher water for a really challenging workout).

Get comfortable. Don’t forget to pack comfortable workout attire that fits your destination’s climate.

These are simple and easy things your can do to ensure you enjoy your vacation but also make sure you fit in working out while traveling.

Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: working out while traveling

P90X2 Time to Bring it Again!

September 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

P90X2 Time to Bring it Again!

P90X2 is here for all those who did P90X and are ready for new workouts and a new challenge. This workout is not your mom’s Jane Fonda workout. Beachbody spent 2 years in research in development with fitness experts to come up with this highly effective workout. P90X2 was taken to a higher level of technology too by being the first Beachbody workout available on blu-ray.

What’s included in P90X2

P90X2 includes the great muscle confusion that you know and love from P90X but it kicks it up a notch. This set comes complete with 12 workouts, a fitness guide and a nutrition guide. Plus when you order from me as a coach you get 2 free additional workouts and free coaching from me.

Here is exactly what you get-

Also available on Blu-ray™ Discs.^†
^†FREE lifetime disc replacement is included with Blu-ray pre-orders.

Here’s what you get with P90X2:

12 breakthrough, muscle-challenging workouts –

X2 Core. Works your core using instability. Master this routine for overall improved movement.
Plyocide. Explosive movements combined with mind and coordination drills for super speed/endurance.
X2 Recovery + Mobility. Realign your body with a foam-rolling technique and complete stretching routine.
X2 Total Body. Push your body to use the correct muscles and proper form to handle resistance and instability challenges.
X2 Yoga. Increase your isometric power and range of motion, and build stabilizer muscle strength.
X2 Balance + Power. Push your limits through strength and explosive movements while improving alignment.
Chest + Back + Balance. Achieve superior strength gains over those achieved through traditional weight training by working on unstable platforms.
X2 Shoulders + Arms. Keep your shoulders and arms strong and in balance to help minimize your risk of injury.
Base + Back. Give your two largest muscle groups a super workover with a pull-up and plyo extravaganza.
P.A.P. Lower. Give your lower body a cutting-edge workout with four-round complexes that boost performance.
P.A.P. Upper. Regain your youth with Post-Activation Potentiation training for your upper body.
X2 Ab Ripper. Upgrade your concept of what an ab workout should be with a series of demanding core movements.

Plus, get these information-loaded tools:

Fitness Guide. Get all the facts and tools you need to maximize your P90X2 results.
Nutrition Guide. We’ve evolved the diet along with the exercise program. Now in addition to traditional high-performance food choices, you can customize your plan with grain-free and vegan options.
How to Bring It Again Video. Get a quick overview of the complete P90X2 training system.

And even more tools to keep you on track:

90-Day Workout Calendar. Set P90X2 workout goals each day, and schedule your recovery week when you need it.
Online Support. You’ll have access to Tony Horton and our panel of Beachbody^® experts as well as peer support from other people doing P90X2.

Exclusive FREE bonus workouts:

Get 2 FREE workouts when you order from your Coach or Team Beachbody^®: P90X ONE on ONE^® 4 Legs and P90X ONE on ONE^® Upper Body Balance. A $39.90 value—FREE.

How to get P90X2

Because P90X2 is expected to be in such high demand you need to pre-order now and it will be shipped in time for Christmas. Your credit card will not be charged until it is shipped in December. When you pre-order you get free shipping. When you order from a coach you get 2 free workouts designed to go along with P90X2. Pre-orders will also be entered into weekly drawings including the chance to have Tony Horton delivering it to your door.

Beachbody is great about giving you a guarantee on their products and there is a 90 day return policy on the P90X2 workout.

If you are interested in getting p90x2 at a discount you can get 10% off by joining the Beachbody club here or get 25% off by becoming a Beachbody coach here.

It is Easy to Make Exercise More Fun

May 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It is Easy to Make Exercise More Fun

Nothing beats waking up in the morning with the thought of going to the gym to lift weights or jog on the treadmill. After a hard days work, the gym is one place you don’t even want to think about. Sometimes, even the thought of exercising at home can be less than desirable.

Sometimes, just trying to get and stay motivated to exercise on a regular basis can be a challenge. No matter how you look at it, exercise can be downright boring and even tedious at times.

So, you may be wondering just how you can get the motivation you need to exercise on a regular basis. If you’ve been wondering what you can do to make exercise more fun, you’ll find some ideas below that just may help to make exercise more fun and a little bit easier.

First things first, you should exercise with a friend. You can challenge each other, help each other out, keep each other motivated and on track, make each other laugh or just make a game out of your exercise programs.

You can also try something different. If you go to the gym each and every day and use the same piece of equipment or use the same piece of equipment at home, you should try mixing things up. Reverse your routine or just change the order of your exercises.

Go to a city park that has playground equipment and use the slide, climb on the monkey bars, do pull- ups, hang from your knees, just let your imagination guide you. You don’t always need to follow a strict routine, just get out there and have fun working your muscles.

An outdoor circuit in the park is also something you can try. There are some parks that have circuit courses set up with a planned course where all you have to do is walk or jog to each station and then follow the instructions. If there isn’t a planned course, then you should do a combination of jogging and walking, picking a distance of a couple hundred feet. Jog 100 feet then drop and do a couple of pushups, walk the next 100 feet and then drop to do sit ups.

You can also ride a bike around your neighborhood or hike on a hiking trail. A walk in the park or around your neighborhood is also a great way to get some exercise. Doing yoga in the park or on a beach is also a nice and relaxing way to exercise both your body and your mind.

Playing a competitive sport is also something you can try. A lot of cities have team activities such as softball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and so on. These types of activities will not only provide you with good exercise but they will also help you to meet new people as well.

Try various workout videos. There are a variety of workouts for every fitness level and interest out there. You can check out a whole comparison chart of workouts here.

When you exercise, try to picture your muscles getting bigger. Research has shown that if you focus all of your thoughts on the muscles that you are working, they will respond better. Try to watch them work with each repetition as your muscles contract and relax.

As you can tell, there are plenty of ways you can make exercise more fun and interesting. You don’t need to follow the same routine day after day, as you can do many other things to get in some exercise.

The important thing is that you should always try to incorporate exercise in any various form into your everyday life and make these habits the kind of habits that will last a lifetime.

Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: Exercise, Fitness, workouts

Simple Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

February 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Simple Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

With your hectic daily routine – getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school, making sure your socks aren’t floating in the dog’s water bowl, a busy day at work, coming home and fixing dinner, cleaning up the house and getting everyone, including yourself, to sleep – exercise is usually the last thing on your mind!

Stress levels and obesity are at an all time high and health concerns are making themselves a priority in many people’s lives.

However, exercise is the one thing that can energize you to handle such a busy lifestyle with flying colors! Exercising reduces stress, helps you sleep better, and keeps health concerns at bay, while also boosting your self-confidence.

No More Excuses Allowed

It’s a good thing the human body is made the way it is, because there are many exercises you can do anywhere, at any time. All you need are a couple of makeshift weights you can find around the house and the physical weight of your body.

When exercising, remember to get a good warm-up and finish off with a slow cool-down. This is important to prevent injury and is easy to accomplish no matter where you are. Walking works well for both your warm-up and cool-down routine.

Here are 5 simple exercises you can do anywhere:

1. Tricep Dips. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your hands next to your thighs. Lift your body out just in front of the chair, with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Lower yourself down so your elbows bend no more than 90 degrees and push yourself back up.

* Start off with a few small sets and build up from there.
* Straightening your legs increases the workout.
* Avoid this exercise if you have wrist or shoulder problems.

2. Pushups. Everyone knows the standard pushup position, so let’s try some things to change it up a bit.

* You can do pushups with your hands wider than shoulder width to get more of a shoulder and chest workout.
* If you bring your hands together into a diamond shape near the center of your chest you will work more of the triceps and shoulders.
* Working half pushups – either going only half way down and then back up, or starting from the floor and only pushing up half way and then going back down – will intensify your pushup workout.

3. Crunches. Crunches are great for your abs if you do them correctly. Done incorrectly, they can put undue stress on your neck and back. To avoid injury, be sure to use the correct techniques.

* The biggest risk is if you jerk your neck to give you the force to crunch. While doing crunches, keep your hands behind your head and your elbows back while using your stomach muscles to lift your head and chin towards the ceiling.
* Once you’ve mastered this technique, try lifting your legs off the ground or assuming a bicycle position with one leg bent and the other straight off of the ground.

4. Squats. Body weight squats are a great exercise you can do anywhere and a fantastic way to learn proper technique. Start off your squat workouts by lowering yourself only a foot or so. Then work up to deeper squats as your muscles become accustomed to the exercise.

* If you’re feeling a bit advanced and in need of a more intense workout, grab two 2-liter bottles filled with sand and try performing squats while holding one in each hand.

5. Calf Raises. Calf raises can be done wherever there is a raised surface, such as a stairway. If you need balance, hold onto the railing. Facing the stairs, stand with only your toes on the stair and your feet extending out past it. Standing straight up, lower your body down below the level of the stair and then back up onto your toes.

* Even though it seems as if this is an ankle exercise, it also works out your calf muscles.

* The biggest emphasis on this exercise is the ability to go from an extreme negative position with ankle below toes to an extreme positive position, ankle fully raised.

With these five exercises, you have a full body workout. Remember to pay attention to your body and take it easy at first. Soreness is a good thing, but pain means you need to stop. Try these exercises out today and feel the healthy difference of fitness on the run.

Filed Under: Exercise, Health and Fitness Tagged With: Exercises, workouts

Ways to Start Exercising and Love It

January 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ways to Start Exercising and Love it

Does the work exercise make you wan to cringe? It does for a whole lot of people. Many people would rather do just about anything rather than exercise. For many people the last thing they want to hear is that they need more exercise. Does this sound familiar?

Finding exercise that you will love-

The thing about exercise is if you don’t like it, you have not found the exercise for you. There are so many ways to get exercise and there really is a great fit for everyone. What is great for one person may not work for another. The key is finding the right exercise for you. Don’t torture yourself with exercise that you hate, find something that fits you and you will actually look forward to. Here are just some of the options you could consider for exercise-

1. Dance

2. Walking

3. Running

4. Swimming

5. Tennis

6. Wii

7. Yoga

8. Weight lifting

9. Workout Videos

10. Jumping Rope

11. Team Sports

12. Bike Rides

This is just a small variety of things you could try to get yourself moving and find the exercise that you love. You will know you have found the exercise you love when it doesn’t feel like something you want to avoid, you actually look forward to it. When you find that exercise you look forward to it is going to make it so much easier to get healthy and make it part of your lifestyle.

I would love to hear what you have done to find the ideal exercise for you. Leave me a comment and let me know what exercises you tried and how you finally found your soul mate exercise. Has this made a big difference in your health and fitness?

Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: exercise. finding exercise you like, finding exercise you love

Exercise is All About You

December 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I was working out the other day and saw a couple of people who were present at the workout but looked like they were just going through the motions. It looked like they were putting in zero effort and really hated being there. I was almost upset for a second thinking, “why are you here” but then I realized in the not so distant past that was me. I would exercise and hate every second of it, watching the time tick by on the clock so I could be done. I was exercising but getting nothing out of it. That all changed when I found exercise I enjoyed.

If you are exercising but hating it or not seeing results maybe it is time to change it up. Try out new workouts, sports and physical activities.

Find exercise YOU like-Everyone is differs in what they like, what your spouse, friends or family like might not be the kind of exercise you enjoy. Find a workout that is fun to YOU. You might have to try out different things. The best workout for you is a workout you will give your all to and enjoy. You are much more likely to keep it up if you enjoy it.

You will get out of it what YOU put into it- If you are exercising but not putting much effort into it you are not going to see great results. It will make a huge difference if you really push yourself, break a sweat and get out of the comfort zone a little.

Be honest with Yourself- Only you know your limits and you know if you are working hard enough. If you are doing a workout and are having a hard time keeping up do a lower impact version. If you are doing a workout and not pushing yourself, step it up a notch.

You are the one who will benefit if you put in the effort. Workout to give yourself the gift of health, fitness and self confidence.

Filed Under: Exercise

Fitness Tips to Help Improve Your Life

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Fitness Tips to Help Improve Your Life

Physical fitness refers to the human body’s ability to function without too much fatigue. Thus the energy stored is enough to do leisure activities as well as overcome physical stresses with alertness and vigor. General alertness, muscular endurance and strength, and cardio vascular reliability are the obvious signs that you are physically fit.

Normally, physical fitness is measured according to expected functions of the body associated with endurance, strength, coordination, flexibility, and agility. Moreover, stress testing also ascertains the accommodation of the body to a sustained, powerful stimuli used in analyzing fitness.

The physical fitness levels are influenced by systematic, regular exercise. Moderate activities keep the person at a certain level enough to deal with ordinary stress. Improving the levels of fitness needs more intensive exercises which promotes changes and challenge physiological systems.

There are seven fitness tips that can help you improve the quality of your life.

1. Daily exercise. Every day perform some movements that can elevate the rate of your heart. It can simply include walking when buying things in the market nearby. Doing household chores like washing clothes, mowing lawns, and other chores may be done also.

2. Eat more veggies. Vegetables and fruits will keep you energized and healthy. Plants in its natural state contain lots of fibers and nutrients. Organic fruits and vegetables must be preferred if possible since it is free from any chemical contamination.

3. Weight train. Muscles are weakened as you age. Do resistance training to create hypertrophy. This helps you look younger and adds more quality into your life.

4. Circuit train. A form of weight training which enables you to continually move from one workout to another. Following this practice can improve your heart rate during the whole workout doubling your cardio session.

5. Train functionally. Incorporate some movements into your daily exercise which benefit or mimic your practiced movements in the actual world. Sports are good for functional training because the body is required to move in an efficient way. Functional training can keep your body balanced making it more resistant to illnesses and injuries.

6. Stretching your body as you warm up. Muscle contraction is achieved through resistance training making it tighter and smaller. Similar to all types of cardio, simple resistance training is also great. Warming up the body through stretching is helpful after exercises.

7. Hydrate. There are about more than 60% of water in the human body. However, more often you became under hydrated because of some common beverages causing dehydration. It includes coffee, soda, alcohol, and tea. As much as possible drink a lot of water following the required eight glasses of water a day.

These are simple strategies to keep your body fit. But more people have failed to achieve it because they are telling themselves they cannot do any exercise because of their family and job. Never forget that you can stop from working if you get sick. Likewise, if you are dead, you can never be with your family. So, it is your decision to put exercise first on your priorities. After all, those people dependent on you are more important.

Filed Under: Exercise, Health Tagged With: Fitness Tips, Health, Wellness

Why Exercise Is Important for Weight Loss

October 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Why Exercise Is Important for Weight Loss

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be in the process of developing a weight loss plan for yourself. For many individuals, a weight loss plan is a guide that they can follow and one that may help to give them motivation. If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, it is important that you place a focus on exercise, as exercise is important component of weight loss.

Although it is nice to hear that exercise is an important part of a weight loss plan, you may be wondering exactly why that is. For your body to lose weight, you must see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of calories that you need to reduce, in order to lose weight, will all depend on your current weight and your hopeful weight loss goal. Unfortunately, this is where many individuals automatically assume that they can’t eat three meals a day and many actually just stop eating. This is not only dangerous to your health, but it can be deadly.

Instead of reducing your calorie intake by solely limiting the amount of foods that you eat, you can use exercise to your advantage. By exercising, you burn off calories. These are calories in which your body can use to help you lose weight. If you have a specific weight loss goal, like one that involves losing at least twenty pounds, you may want to focus on fun exercises or workouts, but also ones that burn the most calories. Adding exercise to your weight loss plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.

Since it is important to incorporate to exercise into your weight loss plan, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. In all honestly, there are an unlimited number of ways that you can go about using exercise to help you lose weight. For starters, you can buy a collection, even just a small collection, of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment can include items such as exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even if you have limited financial resources, you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces that are within your budget.

Although you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces, including instructional workout DVDs, for affordable prices, you may be looking to limit your weight loss plan investments. If that is the case, you may want to take the time to examine your local gyms or fitness clubs. While some fitness clubs and gyms have relatively high membership fees, you can also find a number of them with affordable membership rates. It is also important to mention that many fitness clubs and gyms are open accommodating hours, often making it easy to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.

Despite the fact that exercise is often associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that is not all that exercise is about. Exercise can also involve something simple like going for a walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. If you would prefer to exercise, for free, in your spare time, you may want to consider finding an exercise buddy. This is a person who can workout with you, even if it just involves walking around your local shopping mall. Not only can you make a new friend or strengthen your relationship with one of your current friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise partners often means that you are more likely to stick with your weight loss plan and achieve your weight loss goals.

As outlined above, it is extremely important that you incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan, especially if you are serious about losing weight and wish to do so in a healthy matter. With multiple ways to go about incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.

Filed Under: Exercise, Featured Tagged With: Exercise, weight loss

Find Time for Exercise

October 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Find Time for Exercise

Think you don’t have time for exercise? If you think about exercise is something you want to make time for. It should be the top priority on your list. Because when you fit in exercise you are going to feel better, more energized and be able to get more done. Exercise does not have to take a lot of time either. Check out the video below.

Looking for a quick workout like this. Check out 10 Minute Trainer and see if it is for you.

Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: Fit in exercise, Time for exercise

Getting Rid of Belly Fat

July 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Getting Rid of Belly Fat-

Getting rid of belly fat is something many of us want to achieve. Unfortunately it is not as simple as doing a couple of crunches and being able to say bye bye to that belly fat forever. Not only is belly fat unattractive it can be bad for your health. So what is needed to get rid of Belly fat?

1. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day doing high intensity aerobics.

2. A healthy eating plan including whole grains, protein, and fruits and vegetables.

3. Avoiding drinking too much alcohol.

Check out the video below that explains getting rid of belly fat in a little more detail.

If you want to check out meal planner to help you eat better watch The Beachbody Meal Planner Demo and join the Beachbody club here to take advantage of the meal planner.