Control Your Sugar Cravings!

Lemon Heads. Cinnamon buns. Lindt chocolate. Snickers. Skittles.
 
Sugar, sugar, sugar! Who doesn’t love sugar?!
 
I don’t know about you, but when there is peanut butter/chocolate fudge, chocolate chip cookies, or even atomic fireballs near me I want it and I want it all!
 
What is it about sugar that keeps you coming back for more? Why is it one of our biggest weaknesses?
 
Sugar releases endorphins and they produce a natural “high” for us. Unfortunately, that “high” goes away very quickly and it leaves us wanting more and more sugar. Just like a drug addict, people who are used to eating sugars and decide to go on a diet go through withdrawals. Sugar withdrawals suck!  
 
When I started my competition diet last January, the first two weeks were BRUTAL for me. I was constantly chomping on sugar-free gum and chugging water with Crystal Light in it like it was my job. Anything to beat those cravings – I wasn’t caving in!
 
This leads me to the purpose of this post: how I beat my sugar cravings and other ways you can, too!
 
1)     Sugar-free gum – if it says sugar-free, stock up and chew, chew, chew. Feel free to blow a couple of bubbles, too. Those are always fun. Except when they pop all over your face and your eyelashes stick together.
2)     Drink lots of water and, if you want to, use some Crystal Light. The “on the go” packets carry only 5 calories in one packet. I usually pour in one-quarter of the packet in my 16.9oz of water. Gives it the perfect sweet taste I need.
3)     Drink hot green tea with a packet of Stevia or Truvia (all-natural sweeteners). This will take you a while to drink and fills you up in the meantime, saving you from those unwanted calories!
4)     After eating a meal, brush your teeth.  
5)     Make a protein shake.
6)     Make your own goodies, but substitute with oat flour or Stevia or Truvia.
7)     DO treat yourself to a cheat meal! Don’t deprive yourself or you’ll go nuts and it might cause you to become grumpy and no one likes to be around someone like that. Trust me, I know.
8)     Don’t skip meals – eat every 2-3 hours and make sure you’re eating protein with every meal. Protein helps keep you fuller longer, plus it helps build muscle and muscle burns fat.
9)     Get it out of the house! If it’s within your line of vision, especially at your house, you’ll be more apt to eat it.
10) Eat fruit instead. Apple with the peel is fine. Did you know eating the peel of the apple promotes muscle growth? Yup, it’s true!  
 
Ready to beat those sugar cravings?! You can do it!

Brittni: Transformation Story #2

I wanted to do another transformation story, but this time on a best friend of mine – Brittni. I met Brittni when we were both in college a few years ago. When I first met her, she rarely worked out – maybe hit the track for a few sprint workouts here and there. Her schoolwork was very time consuming and that was her top priority.

Brittni moved from Maine to Florida a couple of years ago and hitting the gym was the last thing on her mind. She was trying to get settled into a new area with a new job and new friends.

Brittni finally started hitting the gym at age 25. She is currently 27 years old and stands at 5’2” ¾ - let’s just call it 5’3’’. In 2008, at 25, she weighed in at 132lbs. With the right diet and exercise, she is now 110lbs and looks the best she has ever looked in her entire life – so far ;-)

Black bikini: Spring 2008, 132lbs
Purple bikini: June 2010, 115lbs

What prompted you to start working out?
I looked at my pictures (post grad school) and noticed I progressively put on weight since college. I moved to Florida and wanted to look good going to the beach and night clubs, etc. because Florida is known for it's heat and barely there clothing! I found exercise as a de-stressor and confidence booster.

It helped better my health overall, too. I was tested for blood pressure and cholesterol at work for our annual wellness profile and I had high numbers at a young age.

Fast forward a couple years later. You’re showing interesting in competing in a fitness show for the first time (bikini division). What sparked that?
I was working out a lot, about 4-5 days a week, but without any plans. I had a few people ask me if I was doing anything with fitness, but I wasn't. I started looking into it on Facebook; a lot of the girls who compete have their own athlete pages. I added them, and after doing some light research I decided why not! When you (yes, Brittni means, me, Magen) agreed to train for a show, too, it was helpful!

What keeps you motivated?
Pictures of others who compete, my own progress photos, my measurements (not the scale), motivating quotes, and setting goals with deadlines keep me motivated! It also helps me if I buy a new piece of clothing or shoes!

What does your current diet look like?
I am eating seven times a day with 1 or 2 of the meals as a whey protein shake (the best protein is from "real" food, so I try to avoid shakes too often). Most of my carbs are earlier in the day, breakfast being the largest intake of carbs. My diet is made up of 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats (aka 50-30-20). My protein sources are chicken, fish, cottage cheese, eggs, nuts, and whey. My complex carbs are sweet potatoes, brown rice, or a whole grain - oatmeal, cream of wheat, or oat bran cereal. I take in simple carbs minimally, which is about 3/4 to 1 cup of fruit a day (spread out during the day) plus 1 banana for my post workout meal - simple carbs are low in calories and give you a quick burst of energy. I drink water and tea mostly.

Still making progress

What is your favorite cheat meal?
Italian/pizza/bread and the other is sushi. It's usually something carb-related and a red meat! Closer to competition I plan to switch a healthier choice, i.e.; filet and sweet potato at a nice restaurant.

Ok, we all have them, what is the area you’d most like to improve on?
My stomach area is my trouble spot. I have noticed with diet that it has changed drastically and is less of a trouble spot. Carbohydrates impact me the most, especially with holding water and belly fat!

Which supplements do you take?
Biotin, BCAAs 3x a day, CLA 4x a day, Multi Vitamin 2x a day, Fish oil 1x a day

October 16, 2011

Fiber pills (4-6g of fiber) at night only. My pre-workout is C4 Extreme. I use Gold Standard 100% Whey or Amplify XL protein (found at GNC). I am not currently using any fat burners or diuretic.

What does your training regime look like?
I do double sessions Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to split my cardio up. Typically, I do 20-30 minutes in the morning. If I do 20 minutes it's more intense cardio, and 30 minutes is moderate. I lift 5 days a week: sets of 3-4 with reps ranging from 10-12 or 20. I will also incorporate drop sets. These vary depending on my needs and I try to vary them every 2-3 weeks. I never do the same FULL workout regime twice. I believe in muscle confusion.

Monday – Legs
Tuesday – Shoulders, Triceps, Chest
Wednesday - Calves, Plyometrics, Abs
Thursday – Legs
Friday – Back and Biceps
Saturday – Cardio and abs

I will always complete my afternoon workouts with 30 minutes of moderate cardio with my heart rate in the 120s. My cardio machine choices are the treadmill, bike, or cross trainer. Saturdays I do cardio and abs only but for the most part I will complete body weight exercises that target my whole body - push ups, dips, pull ups, squats, and kettle bell. I never do the same workout twice. 

October 16, 2011

Who in the fitness industry inspires you/who do you look up to?
I love Erin Stern and Jamie Eason's techniques and knowledge. I think Amanda Latona, India Paulino, and Nicole Nagrani look incredible for Bikini .

What is your favorite motivational/gym quote?
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." — Aristotle

If I snatched your iPod from you, what type of music would I find on it?
I usually have Pandora radio on David Guetta, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, trance, house music, or Rihanna.

Favorite brands to workout in?My favorite is Under Armour for clothing and Nike for shoes and accessories.

Anything you dislike about working out or dieting?
Early mornings!

What are your future goals and plans with fitness?
I am competing in my first show through the National Physique Committee (NPC) in March.  If all goes well I would like to compete in 2-3 more shows in 2012!

When you need to do some research on training/dieting/finding new workouts, which site(s) or book(s) do you tend to go to?
Bodybuilding.com, Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine, and Women's Health


What, if any, fitness tips or advice do you have for readers whether it be someone looking to start working out, someone who is currently working out, or trying to reach a fitness goal?
If you are a beginner, start off slow. Go to the gym for 30 minutes and do a little cardio; walking on the treadmill or riding the bike. I would go 3x your first 3 weeks then add another day. I would begin lifting weights shortly after as you will burn more calories and have more shape. I would suggest hiring a personal trainer to guide you initially.

If you are already working out look into adding another day to your week. Change your exercises, sets, weights, and rep counts every few weeks. Instead of using free weights use the machines and/or cables or vice versa. Add plyometrics at least once a week, it makes a huge difference in your conditioning.

And if you are trying to reach a fitness goal, I would suggest changing your diet to eating "clean" and adding supplements to your plan. I didn't notice any changes until I did these two things!

The three photos of Brittni below are from December 18, 2011. In just two months, she's improved that much. YOU, too, can do this with the right diet and exercise, and motivation and dedication!! 

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FIRST SHOW, BRITTNI!!

What If I'm Lactose and Soy Intolerant?

I recently had a friend ask me a question regarding being lactose and soy intolerant. Her concern was that she is unable to digest lactose or soy products, so what was she to do for recovery meals after her workouts. She feared she might not be able to get the same results if she didn’t use anything. I assured her she can still get the results she wants and told her to stay focused and not get discouraged.

After I did a little research of my own, I found that she could take a brown rice-based protein powder (I suggested Source Naturals Brown Rice Protein Powder) and mix that with Unsweetened Almond Breeze milk, which is both soy- and lactose-free!

If you find that you are sensitive to soy and lactose, be sure to always read the ingredients of each label.

Hope this helps others!

Morning Workouts Are The Best!

I recently started going to the gym in the mornings again and wish I would have started that sooner!! I was doing that religiously last fall and winter and as it got nicer out, I started to go in the afternoons so I could enjoy more of my night and stay up later and sleep in longer. Doing that only ended in me skipping workouts, which is no bueno.

I have been going in the mornings and skipped one morning for more sleep and told myself I’d just go after work, but I couldn’t get myself to go! – I was just too tired and with the crowds, forget that! Never again will I do that! I truly enjoy being at the gym bright and early… here are my reasons why:

• No crowds
• Machines are open
• Quality of my workouts is kickass!
• Get to work early/on time
• Energy lasts throughout the day – no more 2 p.m. lull!
• Stay more on track with my clean eating
• Workouts last longer because I have more time and I’m not rushed
• Don’t skip an exercise or stretching
• Consume more water throughout the day
• Sleep better at night
• More motivated to pack my gym bag at night/gather my meals together & more motivation for other tasks
• Have time for other things after work

I could probably add more to this list. In fact, here’s another big one: my workout is out of the way! I also feel more clear-headed throughout the day, which makes for an even more productive workday!

When do you workout? Morning? Afternoon? Evening? Morning and evening?

Build Muscle Mass Now!

You bust your ass in the gym all the time, but where are the results? Why haven’t your muscles grown? It’s what you do outside of the gym that’s crucial! 

I recently read a couple of articles that included words of wisdom and advice from Bodybuilding.com writer Jim Stoppani. Jim isn’t only a writer; he received his doctorate in exercise physiology with a minor in biochemistry from UConn. According to Bodybuilding.com, “Following graduation, he served as a postdoctoral research fellow in the prestigious John B. Pierce Laboratory and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine, where he investigated the effects of exercise and diet on gene regulation in muscle tissue.

He was awarded the Gatorade Beginning Investigator in Exercise Science Award in 2002 by the American Physiological Society for his groundbreaking research. Currently, he serves as senior science editor for Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness Hers and Flex magazines, is the host of the popular online training and nutrition video series Muscle & Fitness Raw!.

He has written thousands of articles on exercise, nutrition and health and is author of Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (Human Kinetics, 2006), co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, LL Cool J's Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle (Rodale, 2010), co-author of the book Stronger Arms & Upper Body (Human Kinetics, 2008), and co-author of the chapter "Nutritional Needs of Strength/Power Athletes" in the textbook Essentials of Sports Nutrition and Supplements (Humana Press, 2008). Dr. Stoppani is the creator of the Platinum 360 Diet as found in the book, LL Cool J's Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle (Rodale, 2010) and creator of the diet program found in the book,Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness (Rodale, 2008).

Dr. Stoppani has been the personal nutrition and health consultant for numerous celebrity clients, such as LL Cool J, Dr. Dre, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Mario Lopez, and has appeared on the NBC television show “Extra” as an Extra LifeChanger and as a science expert on the Spike television shows “Jesse James is a Dead Man” and “MANswers”.”

Needless to say Jim knows his shit. The articles I came across included “rules” or “ways” to packing on muscle. While the following applies to both men and women, you obviously have to figure out the numbers appropriate for YOU and YOUR BODY rather than just following this program to a T. I wrote a blog to help find your number if you’re looking to lose, gain, or maintain, so go back to that and check it out if you’re unsure. It’s no surprise the first one was focused on supplying your body with plenty of calories. If you aren’t consuming enough calories, you won’t gain. It’s as simple as that. Jim suggests on workout days to consume 20 to 22 calories per pound of body weight for the day. On non-training days, cut your intake down to about 18 calories per pound of body weight. This will help keep your mass gain on the muscle side, not the fat side.

Next, you should focus on increasing your protein! After all, muscles are made of protein. Try eating 2 grams per pound of body weight a day. Eggs are an EXCELLENT source of protein! Eat at least 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites per day to gain that muscle mass. Whey protein is just as significant as eggs. Begin your day with a protein shake because after sleeping for eight hours, your body needs the glucose during that time of fasting. About 30 to 60 minutes after your shake, go ahead and indulge in your second breakfast with slower-digesting foods like eggs and oatmeal – yum! Whey is also very important in the 30 minutes after your workout routine. It’s the fastest-absorbing protein and will go straight your muscles. Jim suggests drinking a shake 30 minutes PRIOR to your workout, too, and even adding in carbs and creatine. This will aid in muscle mass gains!

Make sure you eat carbs with care! They are definitely important for building size. On workout days, it’s suggested to consume 2 to 3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. On rest days, 1 to 1.5 grams.

Yes, you still need your healthy fats when building muscle (and even when you’re leaning out!). Consume ½ gram of fat per pound of body weight per day – making sure you’re consuming saturated, monounsaturated, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats. (If you don’t know what these are, look back to older blogs as I’ve explained that before.)

Eating beef will help you “beef” up, too! You are what you eat, right? It supports healthy testosterone levels and maximizes muscle growth. It’s also rich in B vitamins, zinc, and iron – all important for growing!!

Lastly, try casein protein. Casein is what makes up the majority of the protein in milk. It is a slow-digesting protein and perfect for drinking prior to bedtime. The protein layers in casein digest one at a time and provide your body with aminos for about 7 hours. You can also try eating cottage cheese if you’re not a fan of a casein shake.

Don’t forget, water will definitely help you maintain your health and muscle mass. It keeps your muscle fibers hydrated and looking fuller and bigger. Make sure you’re eating multiple (small) meals throughout the day, too. Your vitamin and supplements will also help pack on muscle mass – BCAAs, Glutamine, Arginine, Calcium are some examples. Also, you’ll be happy to hear you can incorporate cheat meals! These meals provide a break from the strict dieting or add a change of pace. This helps speed up your metabolism and triggers fat burning, too, because you’re shocking your body.

Bis, Tris, and Abs - Oh My!

I wanted to share with you what I did to train my triceps last night at the gym, but I never got around to submitting another post on my blog. I showed up at Obie’s after work to train biceps, triceps, abs, and perform HIIT cardio on the Arc Trainer (this time a hill interval). Both my bis and tris are pretty damn sore today (tomorrow will be even worse!), which I LOVE! No pain, no gain!

For biceps, I did a total of 4 exercises for 4 sets each and anywhere from 8 to 12 reps. I started with EZ-bar Curls, followed by Seated Dumbbell Curls, Preacher Curls, and Cable Curls.

Moving on to triceps… I performed my first-ever giant set, which I LOVED! I will definitely do something like this again. I placed a rope attachment on one side of the cable machine and a cambered bar on the other. I started with the following:

20 rope pushdowns (pull apart at the bottom)

20 rope pushdowns (hands together)

20 overhead rope extensions

20 cambered bar pushdowns (hands close together)

20 cambered bar pushdowns (reverse grip and hands further apart)

I repeated this 3 times. My triceps were burning! Of course, I used lighter weight than I normally would because I was going for higher reps and I wasn’t resting between exercises.

After, I performed only one set of 50 reps of Overhead Extensions. Then I did 3 sets of 30 (drop set 10 each – so performed 10 reps with the heaviest weight, then dropped the weight and performed 10 more reps, and dropped the weight once more and did a final 10) V-Bar Pushdowns. I finished tris with 3 sets of 12 reps of Dips.

I did all my ab exercises to failure.

If you’re looking to burn out your triceps, then I definitely suggest trying this workout! Happy lifting!

How Have You Been Treating Your Workouts and Diet?

It's summertime and I've noticed I've become lax on my diet and have even skipped some workouts to go do other things instead. After all, living in Maine, summer lasts from June to September and of those months June is usually a wash out with rain and it starts cooling off by early- to mid-September. I am a summer person (I HATE winter with a passion). I enjoy my time at the beach as well as spending as much time outdoors as possible. Unfortunately, my diet and exercise sometimes suffer. I think I've gotten that out of my system in the past three weeks though.

I hit a funk and was only working out 3-4 times a week as opposed to the usual 6 times a week. My diet was actually pretty good during the week, but as soon as the weekends hit, I allowed myself one too many cheat meals and one too many Whipped vodka drinks. Mmmm, but who can resist? Well, I have to now. I have to get back on track and motivate myself to get to where I really want to be. If I don't, my body will suffer and in turn I'll feel like crap about myself and hide under sweatshirts and long pants. Who wants to live life that way? Not me!!

I think it helped not training as hard these past three weeks because it really gave my body time to recuperate and rest. I went into the gym tonight and trained shoulders and I was in beast mode - I killed it! I left the gym feeling so accomplished. I showed the weights who was boss tonight. Yeah buddy!!!!

First, I have to mention... I really was discouraged and didn't have any intentions of going to the gym after work (that's why I really need to get back into the routine of going in the mornings again). BUT I downed my Super Pump 250 and got the energy and motivation I needed. I showed up at World and the parking lot was FULL. Screw that! I drove over to Obie's instead. Thank God.

I started my warm up and then I got into it. I did 4 sets of 10-12 reps of seated dumbbell (DB) shoulder press. I made sure I chose a weight that I was struggling to get the last rep. I took about 30-45 seconds of rest in between each set. Then I superset 4 sets of 10-12 reps of the Arnold press and rear delt flye. My next exercise I superset 4 sets of 10-12 reps of lateral raise and alternating front raise. Finally, I did 4 heavy sets of 10 reps of the E-Z bar upright row.

In between the last three exercises, I would train my abs. I just did them all until failure - woodchop, decline sit up, russian twists, lemon squeezes, weighted crunch.

Finally, I moved on to HIIT cardio on the Arc Trainer. I put it to the highest level (10) and set the time for 20 minutes. At 17:30 I started my high intensity and just sprinted for 30 seconds. Back to low intensity for a full minute, then immediately to high intensity for another 30 seconds... I kept doing this until I hit the 2 minute mark. I stopped and cooled down. In only 20 minutes, I ended up burning 272 calories. Had I kept going at the low intensity pace for 30 minutes, I would have only burned about 300 calories, if that. I felt great! Awesome thing about HIIT is that even after I'm done my workout, I'm still burning fat and calories and will continue to do so into tomorrow. That's also another reason why I prefer HIIT to regular cardio.

My diet was ok today. I definitely did not drink nearly enough water and I didn't eat enough. I had tuna and two rice cakes, two cups of coffee with Stevia, chicken salad with eggs and cottage cheese and tomatoes and some light cheese and balsamic vinegar, almonds and gummy bears, protein shake post-workout, and about a cup of baked ziti with meat sauce. Definitely not ideal, but the morning started off on the wrong foot, so it threw my eating off. No excuses, I know! Tomorrow will be a much better day as far as diet goes.

All I know is that after tonight's workout, I feel amazing! I can't wait to hit the gym tomorrow morning with my trainer, Jamie. We'll be training legs! My other favorite body part train other than shoulders.

Get out there and train and eat well, and be sure to drink plenty of water!!!!

Getting Out Of That Gym Funk

I think I recently told you about the funk I was in regarding the gym. Well, I’ve finally pulled myself out of it and have gone full force into working out again. I went back to see my trainer, Jamie, yesterday. She offered me a spot that opened up and at first I said thanks, but no thanks (I’m trying to cut back on extra spending so I can focus on saving as much as possible). But as it neared 5pm and I kept thinking about how I had to go to the gym to workout, I slowly started talking myself out of it. I immediately text Jamie and asked her if she had it open still. Actually, what I really said was: “Fuck it… You still have 6:15 open?”

I got to the gym at 6 and did 15 minutes of HIIT cardio on the Arc Trainer. Normally, I would save the cardio for after I workout, but I was a few minutes early and I wasn’t about to just stand there and wait for her. I might as well utilize my time and get to burning some calories! In 15 minutes, I burned more than 150 calories. Not too bad! Beats doing regular cardio for 30 minutes and burning about the same amount.

I told Jamie I wanted to work on my hamstrings – and boy, did we ever! I performed a glute-ham raise (first time I’ve ever done this exercise). She held my feet/ankles down while I fell forward on my hands and picked myself back up using only my hamstrings. I loved that exercise because I really felt my hamstrings working. Next, she had me superset the glute-ham raise with single-legged prone leg curls (aka lying leg curls). Eventually, we moved on to a wide-stance single dumbbell deadlift, two-part lying leg abduction superset with phsyio ball hamstring curls, straight legged deadlifts with my feet on a plate, and good mornings.

It was definitely a great hamstring workout! My hammies are tight today and starting to get sore. I bet tomorrow they will be the sorest. Usually the second day is.

This morning my alarm went off at 5 and I contemplated sleeping and going to the gym after work. I started looking at motivational workout pictures and reading motivational workout quotes. That was enough to get me out of bed. I was at the gym by 6 and completed a full hour of heavy lifting for back and biceps. After, I performed another 15 minutes of HIIT cardio.

For back, I did wide-grip lat pull downs, reverse grip lat pull downs, one-arm row, seated low row, pullovers, and straight-arm pulldowns. For biceps, I did alternating dumbbell curls, preacher curls, hammer curls, and 21s with the E-Z bar. I wanted to get to abs, but I had no time. I drove over to the other gym I train at and showered and headed into work.

It’s such a wonderful feeling working out first thing in the morning for a few reasons: great start to my day, I feel energized throughout the entire day (no 2pm crashing), and when I get out of work at 5pm I don’t have to worry about working out! (Although I wouldn’t mind doing another bout of cardio!) I will definitely stick to the morning gym routine from now on until I get bored with that and need to switch it up and start going at night again.

Already I feel much better having worked out with my trainer and performing HIIT cardio. My diet has been on point, too. On my way to my best body! I can’t wait until I’m there. My goal is to be there within the next eight weeks. We shall see!

Keep Your Muscle As You Get Older!

So my mom suggested I write a blog about exercise for the older folk, so here it is! As you get older you could experience sarcopenia, which is muscle loss that occurs as we get older. This actually starts in your 30s! Ahhh really? I’m damn near 30! That’s not cool! Good thing I’ve been taking good care of my body and have been investing a lot of my time with weight training and cardio! I recently read, “people who are physically inactive can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30. But you still experience some muscle loss, even if you are active”. (Source: WebMD) Ok I’m not really happy reading that, but it’s the truth! Thankfully, we can rely on resistance training (aka lifting weights) for the best means of prevention.

The older you get, the more you might have to work at maintaining your muscles. This means that men and women generally over the age of 60 have to lift weights more often than younger people to maintain muscle mass and size. Here’s a 30-minute workout routine I came across during a recent search for my older readers out there:

This is a short-burst, high-intensity workout which will boost your metabolism and tone your muscles. It incorporates cardio training and resistance training for each major muscle group.

1: Start with beginner squats (thighs) – stand against a wall with an exercise stability ball at your low back, feet hip-width apart, and out in front. Slowly lower your body by folding at the hips and bending at the knees, dropping glutes toward the floor; slowly move back to the starting position. Make sure your knees remain over your heels. Perform 10 repetitions of these! 

Ball Squat

2: Squats (thighs) – if you’re ready to challenge yourself a bit more, try squats without the ball! Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your butt as if you were sitting down, keeping your knees over your ankles. Perform 10 reps! 

Regular Squats

3: Forward Lunge (thighs) – Standing with feet hip–width apart, take a big step forward with one leg, then lower your body toward the floor, front knee aligned with ankle, back knee pointing to the floor. Return to the starting position, and repeat by stepping forward with the other leg. For a more challenge, hold a free weight in both hands and complete the lunge with a rotation in the torso, twisting the body toward the forward leg. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.

Forward Lunge

4: Romanian Deadlift (hamstrings) – This is one of my favorite leg exercises! To perform a deadlift holding a body bar or free weights, stand up straight with feet hip–width apart. Fold at your hips, moving the hips backward as you lower your upper body parallel to the floor. Keep the legs straight without locking the knees, and keep the back level and the spine in neutral. Lower the weight to just below your knees, then slowly return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.

Romanian Deadlift

5: Bridge (hamstrings) – The bridge works the glutes, hamstrings, and core. Lying on your back with knees bent and feet hip-width apart, peel your spine off the floor, starting at the tailbone, forming a diagonal line from knees down to shoulders. Slowly return to the starting position. For an extra challenge: Target your triceps by holding light weights, lifting your arms ceiling-ward as you raise your hips. Bend your elbows to lower the weights towards the floor. Perform 10 repetitions.

Bridge

6: Push-Ups (chest & core) – Push-ups strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. Lying face-down place hands a bit wider than your shoulders. Place toes on the floor, creating a smooth line from shoulders to feet. Keeping core muscles engaged lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows. Too hard? Place knees on the floor instead of toes. To boost the workout, add an exercise ball under the hips, knees, or feet. Perform 10 repetitions.

Push-Ups

7: Chest Press (chest) – Instead of push-ups you can try the chest press with weights. Lie face-up on a bench, with knees bent or feet on the floor, spine relaxed. Press a body bar or free weights from your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your arms but don’t lock the elbows, and move slowly in both directions, keeping shoulder blades on the bench. For an extra challenge, do the chest press with your head and upper back on an exercise ball. Perform 10 repetitions.

Chest Press

8: Bent-Over Row (back & biceps) – The bent-over row works all the major muscles of the upper back, as well as the biceps. Begin the exercise in a bent-over position with your back flat, one knee and one hand on the same side of the body braced on a bench. Hold a free weight in the other hand with arm extended. Lift the weight toward the hip until the upper arm is just beyond horizontal, see right. Then slowly lower weight to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.

Bent-Over Row

9: Shoulder Press (shoulders) – A shoulder press works the shoulder muscles and can be performed standing or seated. For extra back support, use a bench with a back rest. Begin with elbows bent and weights at shoulders. Slowly reach toward the ceiling, keeping the elbows under the hands and the shoulders away from the ears; slowly lower back to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.

Shoulder Press

10: Pull Down (upper back or lats) – For the last upper body exercise, do the cable pull down, which works the upper back. Using a cable machine, sitting straight with a neutral spine, grasp the bar with arms extended. Slowly pull the bar down past the face and toward the chest. Only go as far as you can without leaning back, and control the weight on the way back up. Perform 10 repetitions.

Pulldown

11: Bicycle (core) – Lying on your back on the floor, fold knees toward the chest and curl the upper body off the floor. With hands behind head, slowly rotate upper body to the right while drawing the right knee in and reaching the left leg out. Then rotate left and pull the left knee in and extend right leg out. Focus on bringing the shoulder toward the hip (rather than the elbow to the knee), and keep the opposite shoulder off the floor. Perform 10 repetitions.

Bicycle

12: Side Plank (core) - For another abdominal alternative, lie on your side with a bent elbow directly under your shoulder, and use your torso muscles to lift the body up into a side plank. Then lift the hips higher, then back to the plank, then lower. Do as many as you can with proper form, then repeat on the other side.

Side Plank

Congratulations! You just completed a 20-minute resistance training session! Now, on to some cardio! You want to try to vary the intensity during your cardio workout. Use intense intervals, taking about a minute to get from moderate speed to intense (this is the HIIT cardio I’ve discussed in previous blogs). Whether you're on the stair-stepper, the elliptical trainer, or the treadmill, do:

• 30 seconds of the highest speed you can tolerate, then 30 seconds of normal speed.
• Then 30 seconds of the stiffest resistance you can handle, then 30 seconds of normal.

Keep moving back and forth between speed and resistance until you've completed 10 minutes.

You can perform this entire 30-minute workout every other day or even two days in a row with a one-day rest in between. Be sure to keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water!!

A Delicious Protein Recipe & My New Diet!

So I’ve been looking recipes to start making my own protein bars and came across a really yummy-looking one by Registered DietitianGeorgie Fear, author of Ask Georgie.

These are called Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars – mmm, mmm good!

Ingredients:

• Pam cooking spray
• ½ cup plain oatmeal
• ½ cup unsweetened soymilk
• ¼ cup egg whites (or 2 whites)
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (or 1/3 cup)
• ½ cup Stevia (or 12 packets)
• ¼ cup milled flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8” pan with Pam cooking spray.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine oats and milk; cook for 60 seconds. Stir and allow cooling; mix in egg whites and vanilla extract.

3.   In a large mixing bowl, combine the whey protein, Stevia, flaxseed, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

4.   Add oatmeal mixture to dry ingredients; mix just until everything is moist. Spread batter in pan.

5.   Place peanut butter in microwave safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds or until melted. Spoon peanut butter over batter in pan and swirl with knife tip.

6.   Bake for 10 minutes; allow cooling completely before cutting into 6 bars. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer or refrigerator. Unwrap and microwave 30 seconds to warm.

These bars make 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts:

Per serving:

195 calories

11 g total fat

2 g saturated fat

5 mg cholesterol

14 g total carbohydrate

4 g dietary fiber

12 g protein

218 mg sodium

You can cut the bars into different sizes depending on how substantial a meal/snack you want your bars to be. Because I’m working on leaning out and I’m in my cutting phase, I will probably only have these as part of a cheat meal. But this would make for a great, delicious, and healthy snack/meal for anyone!

I can’t wait to try these! Share with me if you decide to make these, too! Let me know what you think of them!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

My New Diet


So after putting on some muscle mass, I'm starting my cutting phase like I mentioned in last night's blog. Below is a sample of what my diet looks like now. Of course I substitute some of the meals for other foods that are equal so I don't get bored with the foods.


Meal 1:


1 scoop Whey Protein
1 serving of Gummy Bears
(this is my post-workout meal)


Meal 2:


3/4 cup egg whites (1 yolk)
1/4 cup Oatmeal
1/2 cup berries
(sometimes with this meal I make these as protein pancakes and I add cinnamon and use sugar-free syrup - so good!!!)


Meal 3:


1 scoop Whey Protein
1 tbsp all natural Peanut Butter


Meal 4:


4oz. chicken, tuna, turkey, haddock, or tilapia
3oz sweet potato
1 cup veggies


Meal 5:


1 scoop Whey Protein
1 tbsp natural Peanut Butter


Meal 6:


4oz chicken, turkey, bison steaks, haddock, salmon, tilapia, or tuna
small green salad
oil & vinegar, lemon juice, or sugar-free Maple Groves dressing


Meal 7:


3 egg whites


Again, this is just a sample of what I'm eating and I'm combining this with weight training and cardio. Tonight I trained shoulders (my favorite!), abs, and did cardio on the Arc Trainer. I performed:


Seated Shoulder Press
Standing Front Raise
Standing Lateral Raise
Upright Row with EZ Bar
Bent-over Rear Delt Raise


For abs I did:


Captain's Chair
Lemon Squeezes
Plank
Mason Twists


WHAT DID YOU DO FOR A WORKOUT TONIGHT AND WHAT ARE YOU EATING?