Music May Help Your Exercise Results

Music May Help Your Exercise Results because it has a very powerful effect on the brain. Studies have found that certain songs can stimulate memory and emotions. The studies have also found that both  reactions may also be directly linked to the lyrics.

If music can make you feel certain emotions, is it possible that Music May Help Your Exercise Results? Absolutely! 

A study done at Fairleigh Dickinson University followed a group of moderately obese women for six months. Half could choose their music when working out, and half could not listen to music. The women that listened to music lost an average of 16 pounds, and were much more likely to adhere to their workouts. The women who could not listen to music lost an average of 8 pounds, and were only 68% (as compared to 98%) adherent to their exercise routine. Though the numbers aren’t dramatic, the results are still significant.

From this study you can say Music May Help Your Exercise Results. We also may say that music is effective at distracting the participants from the negative elements of exercise, such as muscle fatigue, heavy breathing, and sweating. Music also helps the time go by. Since music is typically associated as pleasurable, listening to music when you exercise may stimulate the brain onto pleasurable thoughts.

Another study, published in the Scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports, studied a small group of male cyclists and found that the degree of effort they exerted correlated with the speed of the music to which they listened. You may have noticed this when you are taking a spin class, or biking and running outside.

The correct Music May Help Your Exercise Results by setting the pace, and making you push yourself a little harder without even noticing.

Since Music May Help Your Exercise Results, here are some music suggestions when doing cardio, lifting weights, or practicing yoga.

CARDIO EXERCISE

Brunel University professor Dr. Coastas Karageoghis discovered that when runners listened to music they liked, their performance increased up to 15%.

What type of Music May Help Your Exercise Results when doing cardio? 

Cyclers could start with songs with 100–120 beats per minute (bpm). Runners could start with songs 150–170 bpm depending on your pace. Dial the tempo up or down to find what works best for you. That is why CIZE It Up is such a great program. You are exercising and don’t even really think about it because of the music and the moves. Your brain is engaged and you are moving and grooving.

WEIGHT LIFTING

When weight lifting you want music that’s more intense and invigorating. Another key factor in your choice is to choose music with lyrics that get you and keep you pumped up. A study from York St. John University found that when listening to music with uplifting lyrics, participants were able to hold a 2.4-lb. weight out in front of them for 10% longer. P90X and other weight training programs often have music that is set to 128 bpm. This type of music will keep you in a rhythm for lifting.  You also don’t want music that is too fast either. This could cause you to move too quickly, and the distraction could cause injury.

STRETCHING, BALANCE WORK, AND YOGA

Cool downs or programs like yoga call for slower music. This more moderate rate allows the heart rate to sync with the body for proper stretching. When you are trying to relax, you want to decrease the amount of beats in the music below 120 bpm. When doing meditative type yoga or stretching, you want to bring it down even more and use songs that are between 60–90 bpm.

No matter what songs, genres, decade, or source of music you select, just remember Music May Help Your Exercise Results if you choose well. So find your favorite songs that fit each style of exercise and bring on better results

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The Masters Hammer & Chisel Details

Have you heard about the new program The Masters Hammer & Chisel?

It's a new program created by the people who made 21 Day Fix and BodyBeast and it's got a lot of buzz already...probably becase of photos like these:

And you may be wondering if it's a program you should try, so I'm here to answer that for you!

What is The Master’s Hammer and Chisel™? 

For the very first time, trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese have teamed up to create an expert program designed to help you craft a powerful, perfectly defined body. The Master’s Hammer and Chisel is an innovative resistancetraining system that incorporates three muscle-sculpting phases—Stabilization, Strength, and Power—or SSP Training.

This is how Sagi and Autumn help you efficiently build, chisel, and refine a masterpiece physique in just 60 days.

About your Trainers 

Co-creators Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese are experts when it comes to incredible physical transformations. Sagi has been crowned Mr. Israel— twice—and is a Master Professional Personal Trainer, IFBB Pro, member of the IFBB Propta Hall of Fame, Certified Nutrition Specialist, and Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist.

Autumn Calabrese is a celebrity trainer, best-selling author, and working mom who has held certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA), and has competed at the national level in various bikini competitions.

What makes The Master’s Hammer and Chisel incredibly effective and unique?

The Master’s Hammer and Chisel is built on the three phases of SSP Training— Stabilization, Strength, and Power. Other workouts only focus on one or two phases, which might give you decent results. But The Master’s Hammer and Chisel program incorporates all three methods to help you relentlessly chip away fat and carve every muscle for a strong, visually stunning body in 60 days.

It has 12, 30- to 40-minute workouts that combine Sagi and Autumn’s proven techniques for 60 days of hardcore resistance training.

Sagi and Autumn make eating for your goals simple. That’s why they included their easy-to-follow and completely customizable nutrition plan, along with 7 portion-control containers that show you how to portion out the right amount of food to help you reach your unique fitness goals.

The flexible nutrition nutrition plan allows you to lean out, sculpt and maintain, or build muscle, you decide depending on your specific goals.

Includes options to adapt certain exercises if you have limited access to equipment. (Though you can get all the equipment you online pretty easily)

Includes a modifier who demonstrates some moves at a lower intensity.

Who is this program for?

Anyone looking for a comprehensive resistance-training or muscle-sculpting program, ideally you would have had some experience with weight training before, so if you're new to weights then something like the 21 Day Fix may be better for you.

Any who enjoyed Body Beast®, 21 Day Fix®, or 21 Day Fix EXTREME® will LOVE this program...I've done both 21 Day Fix and BodyBeast as well as gotten to preview some of the workouts in this program and they are awesome...this is my plan for January 2016.

Those who like the motivating styles and proven training methods of trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese...I personally love the way Autumn coaches in her videos, and Sagi is hilarious because I feel like I'm being coached by Arnold...which would be awesome!

If you crave a simple, flexible nutrition plan to reach your unique goals then this is definitely for you as they make it really easy to follow and stick to a plan.

What equipment do you need?

This program is designed for people who already have a weight lifting background, so either you have access to what you need at a gym, or you can start to build your home gym (this is what I do ;) )

For this program you'll need some weights or a set of bands (though I highly suggest you use dumbbells as you get a better workout...I have bands and use them for certain things and for travel), a bench or stability ball, and a chin-up bar (and maybe an assistance band for it) or resistance band with a door attachment kit.

1. Stability Ball
2. Red Resistance Band

3. Door Attachment
4. 8-lb. Medicine Ball - if you go with the Delux upgrade this comes with it!

What supplements will I need for this program?

NUTRITION IS EVERYTHING!

You can't get the physique you want and stay healthy for the long term unless you're fueling your body with the nutrients you need.

I have a whole post about the supplements I take on a daily basis and that I recommend for all my clients, however for this program you'll probably want an extra boost in order to get maximum results.

1. Shakeology - The Challenge Pack comes with your first month's supply of Shakeology, and this is the most cost effective way to get it...it's a total nutrition shake and so much more than just protein. The adaptogenic herbs alone are worth adding this in to your daily routine.
2. Performance boosters - this program is designed to build muscle and sculpt your body, so you really need to pay attention to what you give your body in terms of nutrition to do that. The following supplements are going to help you get maximum results, but they aren't 100% necessary (but definitely recommended)
1. Energize - Blast through your toughest workouts with a surge of energy! Take Energize before every workout to help sharpen your focus, push harder, and last longer—because every ounce of extra energy means better results. Energize contains key ingredients scientifically shown to buffer lactic acid buildup and delay exercise-induced muscle fatigue, improve performance, and help you push with maximum intensity
2. Hydrate - Boost hydration during your workouts for outstanding performance. Typical sports drinks have too much sugar and artificial ingredients that can actually dehydrate you. And water alone doesn't effectively hydrate during exercise or replace what you lose through sweat. Hydrate is specially formulated for all-out performance with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water that quickly replaces what's lost and improves endurance, so you can work out longer and feel better
3. Recover - Help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness and jump-start recovery so you can hit every workout with strength and intensity. Recover takes advantage of the critical post-workout window with the ideal combination of time-released proteins and phytonutrients to help facilitate muscle recovery while helping to reduce muscle breakdown. Take Recover after every workout to help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, support muscle growth, and restore your strength
4. Recharge - Support your body's recovery overnight with Recharge. It's specially formulated to help accelerate overnight recovery, combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, and promote muscle growth when your body is primed to accept it—while you sleep! Slow-release protein, amino acids, and powerful phytonutrients help reduce muscle breakdown, promote lean-muscle synthesis, and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
5. Creatine - Blast through high-intensity exercises and turn your last rep into the second or thirdlast rep. Creatine helps you get extra strength so you can push that much harder in every workout, for ultimate performance and quicker results. Creatine monohydrate is the purest, safest, and most effective form in the world—it's scientifically shown to help boost strength and power, improve high-intensity performance, and enhance the effects of resistance training
   You can also get them as a pack that saves you over $45, one with creatine and one without creatine...or try out a single serving of each before you decide if you want to go for the whole thing

What’s included?

• 12 workouts on 6 DVDs that rapidly build, chisel, and refine your body using SSP Training. 
• A set of 7 portion-control containers and a Shakeology® shaker cup to help you master the art of nutrition— and sculpt your ultimate physique. 
• The Master’s Hammer and Chisel Program and Nutrition Guide, with your straightforward eating plan, easy-to- make recipes, and Sagi and Autumn’s expert tips for getting the most out of your workouts. 
• Quick-Start Guide lays out your 3-step blueprint for building the body you’ve always wanted.
• 60-Day Calendar that shows you which workout to do each day for efficient and effective training. 
• PLUS 2 FREE BONUS WORKOUTS 
• 10 Min Ab Hammer: Carve definition into your core while strengthening your entire ab complex.
• 10 Min Ab Chisel: This core-crusher will transform your midsection, without ever getting on the floor.
• Access to the program online from anywhere
• When you purchase The Master’s Hammer and Chisel and become a Premium Team Club member, you’ll get unlimited access to On Demand, where you can stream The Master’s Hammer and Chisel and hundreds of other proven workouts via any desktop, tablet, TV, or mobile device—wherever you have an internet connection.

The Base Kit

So what does it cost?

Always an important question...you have lots of options when it comes to this program, which means you can choose the best fit for your goals and budget

• Shakeology Challenge Pack - $160.00 full program with Shakeology, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Performance Challenge Pack - $160.00 full program with the Performance line instead of Shakeology, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Base Kit - $89.95 includes the full program, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Deluxe Kit - $179.70 includes everything in the base kit plus 4 advanced workouts, an 8lb medicine ball, and an extra set of containers
• Deluxe Upgrade - $89.85 would be good to add to either of the challenge packs or to get later on
• Deluxe DVD's only - $44.85 would be good to add to either of the challenge packs or to get later on if you don't need the medicine ball
• Basic Performance Pack - $109.95 adds on the Energize and Recover performance supplements and would be good to get along with any of the options above if you're interested in getting maximum results and don't want to do the full Performance line talked about above
• Full Performance Pack - $214.95 has the full line of performance supplements for ultimate results

Did I mention that if you sign up as a discount member with me you can get 25% off all of the programs and supplements? If this is interesting to you please reach out to me to talk about what this means (Hint: it's really easy to do!!)

Hopefully this answers all the questions you may have about the program! But if it doesn't please don't hesitate to reach out to me and ask, I'm always here for you!

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Fitness Exercises For Men At Home with Busy Schedules

We all know that health and fitness should be a top priority in your life no matter what. After all, you only have one body and the better care you take of it now, the better off you‘ll be later in life. When it comes to working out, that’s often easier said than done. That is why, if you’re a guy, it’s important to find Fitness Exercises for Men at Home with Busy Schedules. Then there is no wasting time going to the gym and you can use the excuse “There are no good Fitness Exercises for Men that can be done at home”. Despite your best intentions to keep a consistent workout schedule, we all know there are many excuses such as, I am too busy, I am on vacation, and I am too sore, too tired, and unmotivated. 

Enough with the excuses because there is a way to incorporate Fitness Exercises for Men At Home with Busy Schedules.

1. Embrace shorter workouts:

You don’t need to spend hours working out to stay healthy and fit. If you use programs that incorporate high intensity interval training (HIIT), you can get stronger, more fit, and in the best shape ever in as little as 30 minutes. Checkout P90X3, Insanity Max30, 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme and you will see how that can happen. These At-Home workouts are short and sweet but still offer a great workout.

2. Create a ritual:

To create a habit you must create a ritual around the new habit. Staying with an exercise routine is no different.

Workout first thing in the morning before you go to work. Create a ritual where every morning you get up, eat a small breakfast while listening to your favorite music to get you pumped up, take the dog for a quick stroll around the block, then work out, make a nutrition shake or recovery shake, shower, and drive to work.

If you consistently make this a part of your morning routine, eventually you will not think twice about it. It will just come naturally to you.

3. Schedule it in your calendar:

Make your workout as important as you would any other appointment. If you use Beachbody Fitness Programs they all come with a Calendar so you know exactly what workout and what exercises you will be doing. You can simply transfer this schedule into your calendar each week.

4. Commit for 30 days:

Many people have a hard time with long term commitments when it comes to exercise. This is where you look at committing to 21 or 30 day programs. The best Fitness Exercises for Men At Home with Busy Schedules that fit into these time frames are 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme. If you want more than 21 days then you can commit other at home programs, but just focus on each 30 days as its own regimen.

The key is to commit to the habit and doing that habit consistently. 

5. Choose a Program that has Progressive Fitness Exercises

When you first start working out consistently, it is important that you have a high quality program that provides fitness exercises that are designed with the proper progression. This will keep you on track, improve your fitness levels, and help keep you from injury.

Start with the steps above and you will be more likely to succeed in the long run. Get rid of your excuses! There are many Fitness Exercises for Men at Home with Busy Schedules that will create great results. You just need to pick one and start.

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3 Signs Your Workout Program is Working

We know that when we exercise we perform everyday tasks better, our health is improved, and we feel better. So the question is, how do you know if your workout program is working for you? What are the Signs Your Workout Program is Working? 

That is actually a funny subject. The Signs Your Workout Program is Working are actually opposite of our intended goals. The signs are soreness, feeling slow or even sluggish, and feeling hungry.  While these signs may seem like negatives, we actually want these signs. These are clear Signs Your Workout Program is Working.

So the key is to embrace programs that are designed to push you just enough to make you sore, sluggish,  sluggish, and hungry. Programs lacking this threesome don’t provide you an incentive to get in top shape. When you push your body above its normal output, even it is it barely there, and you keep it there over time, you will yield improvements. 

SORENESS

Soreness is the first Sign Your Workout Program is Working. Soreness is the easiest symptom to understand. Most of us have been sore one time or another. Soreness happens when we do something physically that our bodies are not accustomed to doing. It can happen from doing yard work, to a pickup game of basketball, or spending hours at a theme park walking around. When you push your body beyond what you do in normal day-to-day activity, you can get sore. 

Muscle soreness comes from the breakdown of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Our bodies have both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers. Slow-twitch fibers have a low recruitment factor. This means they get fired up during low outputs. Fast-twitch fibers have a high recruitment factor. This meaning it takes something more intense to get them going. An example would be when you pick up your water bottle to take a drink, this requires the use of the slow-twitch fibers. When you jump up out of your chair and run to the front door you involve fast-twitch fibers. 

Fast-twitch fibers are repaired more slowly than slow-twitch fibers (i.e you don’t get tired from lifting your bottle of water, but you would get tired if you had to sprint to the door all the time). 

Hypertrophy means muscle growth. Muscle growth is part of a well rounded and varied training program. The greatest change in the body involves body fat loss and muscular gains. The quickest way to lose body fat is to gain more muscle. To create hypertrophy, you need to overload your muscle fibers progressively to keep breaking them down. As you become healthier this threshold will change. When you utilize progressive weight or resistance programs, you will get sore. Programs that switch between muscle groups cause muscle confusion and avoid plateaus, so you keep making progress. The best way to get this is to follow a program that is designed to change things up and keep you progressing forward, programs like those created by Beachbody.

SLOW AND SLUGGISH

The second Sign Your Workout Program is Working is when you feel slow and sluggish. This is the hardest condition to conceptualize but the easiest to explain. Remember that hypertrophy means your muscles are growing. When your body is growing it has to adapt to the growth.

Just because a muscle is large does not mean it is strong. It takes training to create those gains in size and in strength. The best gains are realized from a combination of low repetitions, high repetitions, eccentric and isometric movements, as well as agility, cardio and plyometric movements. These all teach the muscles to operate at a higher efficiency. 

When you use programs that mix the various exercise types, your muscles are learning and growing, which means you will experience times when you feel slow or sluggish. Typically you will experience slowness and sluggishness most in the first four weeks of the program,  the training phase. If you don’t feel these symptoms during this time, you are not pushing yourself hard enough and need to ramp up your training. This should be the same when you start a new program, or repeat a program. On the other hand, if the feelings of slowness or sluggishness persist beyond four weeks, you may be overdoing it and risk overtraining.  You must work to find a balance.

HUNGRY

Hunger is final Sign that Your Workout is Working. Do you typically feel hungrier when starting a new program? Well, in some cases the reason can be somewhat obvious. If you are trying to lose weight and start a nutrition plan that is portion controlled and contains foods your body isn’t necessarily use to, it takes time to adapt, especially if you leaned toward a lot of high fat and sugary foods. The body will make you feel hungry as you are weaning yourself off these foods because it is craving them. No different than a drug addict wanting more drugs, the body for a time will crave the types of food you used to feed it. 

You may also feel hungry even when your body has passed the cravings stage. This happens because the body needs nutrients to properly repair and grow. It is very difficult to provide through normal nutrition everything your body needs when you are under the type of duress a good progressive workout program creates. You can try, but you are not going to be able to feed your body what it needs through food without overeating. With overeating, you wouldn’t be able to put those calories to use, and some may get stored as fat.

The answer to the greater nutritional needs when you are working your body hard is supplements. When your body needs to be fed the appropriate nutrients, supplements should be your best friend. High quality supplements have very few calories and a lot of very well balanced nutrients, plus some supplements have targeted nutrients, which means they’re designed for nutrient efficiency.  The best solution is to utilize a nutrient dense total nutrition shake like Shakeology, and high quality performance nutritionals like the Beachbody Performance Nutrition Line. When you want above average results, you need above average supplements.

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Exercise for Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety symptoms often improve with exercise. When you have anxiety or depression, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do, but once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference. So, how do you Exercise for Depression and Anxiety?

First you need to have a greater understanding on how exercise can make a difference in depression and anxiety symptoms. The links between anxiety, depression and exercise are not entirely clear, but working out and other forms of physical activity have shown that it can definitely ease symptoms of anxiety or depression and make you feel better. Exercise has also been shown to help keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you are feeling better and symptoms have subsided.

How does exercise help depression and anxiety?

Regular exercise for depression and anxiety may help ease symptoms in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Regular exercise has many other psychological and emotional benefits, as well. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.

Now that you have an understanding of how it can help, what can you do to Exercise for Depression and Anxiety? Research has shown that physical activity such as regular walking, gardening or other forms of physical activity may help improve mood. Keep in mind that Physical activity and exercise are not the same thing, but both are beneficial to your health. The same research has shown that those who used exercise that incorporated progressive resistance training, and cardiovascular training showed a greater improvement and maintenance of depression and anxiety.

With that said, many people don’t seek out exercise because they don’t want to go to a gym or fitness facility due to their depression and anxiety. So what is the answer?

The answer is to utilize at-home fitness and exercise programs such as Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix, P90X, TurboFire, Insanity, and others that provide resistance and cardiovascular training in a planned and structured format. This progressive exercise combined with a structured plan, and where you don’t have to leave your home is great way to create that improvement or maintain that Exercise for Depression and Anxiety can bring to a person.

One of the other things that many people don’t have with going to the gym to exercise for depression and anxiety is support. With a Beachbody Club Membership, each person gets a FREE Coach to support him or her. This can be a great benefit to those who have to exercise for depression and anxiety. If you start with a Beachbody Premium Membership, you’re first 30 days is FREE, and it gives you access to Beachbody On-Demand, an amazing meal planner, and much more! After your free trial ends, you’ll continue to stream world-class programs, such as P90X®, P90X2®, P90X3®, INSANITY®, and more from our massive Beachbody Member Library.

So take advantage of exercise to provide benefits to your overall health, and to improve or manage depression and anxiety.

(originally published on http://www.gettingfittogether.com/exercise-for-depression-and-anxiety/#!328)

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What is the Master's Hammer and Chisel?

The Master's Hammer and Chisel is the expert workout system that delivers breathtaking, body-changing results in as little as 60 days.

Trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese are sought-after experts at sculpting spectacular physiques, and they have shelves full of competition prizes to prove it!

In the Master's Hammer and Chisel, they share their winning strategies in this breakthrough system of resistance training to shape powerful muscle, shed body fat, and build a ripped, statue-perfect physique.

The program won't be out until December of 2015 (can you say New Year's Resolutions!) so to be kept in the loop about it and be one of the first to get your hands on it, be sure to sign-up for the email newsletter

#HammerAndChisel

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Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

With your busy schedule, you don’t always have time to get to the gym. Whether you’re working full time outside the home, working from home, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, your schedule is packed with things that you need to get done. That is understandable but that shouldn’t prevent you from being healthy and having the body you’ve always wanted. Strength Training Exercises can be accomplished right in your living room, or any other room in your house. No fancy gym equipment needed, and Without a Gym Membership!

Simply pick a Beachbody On-Demand program that works for you. With Beachbody On-Demand you can fit your workout in no matter what time of day it is, and you can do it anywhere. One of the best things about the Beachbody On-Demand programs, is there is something for every fitness level. Each program has a modifier for each exercise and will show you how to perform the exercises correctly to avoid injury. No matter what your fitness level, beginner to super experienced there is a Beachbody On-Demand program that will work for you.

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

Ideally, you want a program that will challenge you without pushing you too hard. Most of the at-home strength training programs progress at the level that is needed to give you that push. Of course you can always use the modifier if necessary to fit your current activity level. You can choose body weight exercises, or try a workout that uses weights, bands, or other basic tools that you might already have sitting in your home. Of course if you are just getting started and don’t want to commit to buying equipment you can always use canned food or water bottles for hand weights.

If it’s been a while since you last engaged in regular exercise, it’s probably unrealistic to expect yourself to dive in to exercising five or more days per week. If this is the case it would be suggested to start with a basic exercise program that allows you to get in some strength training two or three days per week. It is would also be recommended that you follow the calendar for the program to help keep you on track. Be sure to give yourself small rewards for staying on track. Maybe there’s a movie that you’ve been desperate to see or a book that you’ve been waiting to read. Promise yourself that if you stay on track with your strength training program for an entire week, you’ll allow yourself that treat.

Mix it up! With the huge library offered by Beachbody On-Demand, you can easily access different programs and workouts that will keep your routine fresh and interesting. Having a steady regimen for 3-4 weeks and then changing it up is always a good thing. This can help create greater results.

Workouts and strength training through Beachbody On-Demand is an easy way to get in shape from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to go anywhere and it will save you some money by not having a gym membership or driving to the gym. All you need is a television, tablet, or computer and a commitment to getting in better shape. What more could you ask for?

Original article: http://www.gettingfittogether.com/strength-training-exercises-without-a-gym-membership/#!328

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Workout Routines for Women: Focus on Fit not Thin

So the question of the day is, what are the best Workout Routines for Women? 

Men and women often seek out very different routes when looking to get healthy. Most men are looking to lift weights, build muscle, and increase their size, while most women often focus on cardio in an attempt to get thin. Though of course this isn't always the case, and certainly in the past few years as a better understanding about how exercise impacts not only our health but also how we look has developed, both sides have started to branch out.

While men and women are different, they don't necessarily need to train differently. If you're goal is achieving better health and getting your body to it's happy weight, then you'll want a program that combines lifting weights and cardio. 

Remember, success is not the number on the scale, but really about how your clothes fit, how you feel on a daily basis, and what you're body is able to do (i.e.: play with your kids, hike a mountain, move your furniture...etc.). 

As you exercise more you will start to lose fat and gain muscle, but your weight may stay the same, it's all about what your body composition is that makes the difference.

Workout Routines for Women: Change Focus from Thin to Toned

When you’re designing a workout plan, you should make sure that you incorporate weight lifting and other toning exercises like body-weight exercise along with some cardio.  In fact, the most effective plan is to have some cardio, some resistance training, and of course a good nutrition plan.

The good news is, there are plenty of workout programs out there that can be accomplished without the need to buy special workout equipment, and they often have a good variety of cardio and resistance days mixed in to them, so you don't have to make up a program all on your own.  If you have comfortable clothing that’s easy to move in and good athletic shoes, you’re already good to go! 

One of my favorite getting started programs (for men and women) is the 21 Day Fix, which is designed to get you toned and into shape fast with equal focus on weights, cardio, and the best nutrition plan out there. 

Another great option is to sign-up for access to online streaming workouts like the ones from Beachbody On-Demand which gives you instant access to a vast library of programs that allows you to find a workout that best suits your goals. 

It also allows you to change things up whenever you get bored. This will help keep you moving and motivate you to achieve your goals.

Which ever program you choose, it's likely to have all of the aspects you need to consider to get the results you're looking for (part of the benefit of using a program designed by fitness trainers).

If you're having trouble deciding which program to pick, then don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

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How to Get Fit Fast

All of us want to get fit but many of us don’t want to wait six months or a year to see results. We want know, How To Get Fit Fast. When you start seeing results in a couple of weeks and your body starts shaping up within a month or so, you feel more motivated to keep going. 

At the same time, you need to make sure that you’re not overdoing things. Your body can only take so much, in terms of exercise and diet. You don’t want to develop any type eating disorder or gymnorexia. 

So always keep in mind that you are perfect no matter what, and that it's a life-long process to get healthy and STAY healthy, and trying to achieve a weightless goal too quickly can cause problems.

With that said, here are some of my favorite tips to help you get in shape:

• Eat More Protein. If you want your muscles to heal faster so that you can put more effort into your workouts, you’ll need to give your body more protein. Most of us get a certain amount of protein everyday but you’ll probably need to up this number in order to build more lean muscle. Good, easy sources of protein include eggs, chicken and fish. Additionally, you could add a meal replacement shake like Shakeology to get about 16 grams of protein. Make sure you have one source of protein at every meal and you’ll see your body toning up faster. (if you need help determining how much protein you need to be eating, then get in touch with me and we'll set-up an appointment to work on your specific needs)

• Lift More. No matter what, if your goal is to loose fat (notice I said lose fat not weight) or gain muscle, you need to be lifting weights. Many times, women are under the mistaken impression that if they lift heavier weights, they’ll end up looking more masculine. However, a woman’s body is just built differently. So it’s not possible for them to develop the type of muscle tone that men have unless they’re really lifting very heavy weights and potentially supplementing with not-good-for-you stuff. If you’ve been using three pound weights and you want to see more results, it’s not going to hurt you to move to five pound weights. If you’re at five pounds, you can easily move to seven. Pick a program that helps you progress with weights so you know you're going to be making changes. BodyBeast is a great one for really focusing on muscle gains, and P90X3 or ChaLEAN Extreme are wonderful for over-all muscle building and fitness.

• Eat Fruits and Veggies. We all know that fruits and veggies are important if you want to have a balanced diet. But more than that, eating fruits and vegetables will give you the energy you need to keep going and will help you maintain your health because they are full of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to produce energy. You don’t want to have the kind of weight loss which results in your looking pale and becoming weak. In order to avoid this, try to get as many bright colors as you can on your plate. You may also want to consider whether you should start taking vitamins.

• Do Something You Enjoy. You can get immediate results by doing a number of different workouts. However, many of us get a little bored when we keep going for a full hour on a treadmill or elliptical trainer.  An incredible option is that you can subscribe to Beachbody On Demand where you get access to over 150 different streaming workout videos and you can pick and choose one that interests you. If you get bored of one video, you can always switch to another. Beachbody On Demand also gives you an incredible variety of on-line tools like meal planners, shopping list, as well as support from a Beachbody Coach  (that's me!!) at no additional cost to help you stay on track!  Plus, you have the option of doing something that is in tune with your fitness goals which may include weight loss, toning or advanced body sculpting.

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A Balanced Workout Routine

So often people get stuck doing the same type of exercises at the gym. Typically you will see the majority of women on cardio equipment, while men are lifting weights, but this separation between what men and women tend to do at the gym isn't a good thing, the truth of the matter is that you need to find a balance and have variety in what you do to get the best results.

Often women are nervous about using weights but comfortable with cardio, so they tend to gravitate toward the cardio section of the gym. Most men have been trained to view an extremely muscular body as the ideal, and feel the only way to obtain this is by slinging weights around the weight room while ignoring cardio exercise. Unfortunately this is not good for either men or women, and a lot of times this comes with bad form in both the cardio and weight areas of the gym.

The truth is if you want to achieve a slim toned look (like most women) or achieve muscle definition (like most men), you will need to create a balance between cardio at the right intensity level and weight training that provides the appropriate repetitions and sets. It is also always good to have some flexibility and balance training to round out your routine, and it will enhance both your cardio and weight training regimens and help prevent injury.

Here are some tips for a balanced workout routine:

Assess Your Goals

Determine what you are aiming to obtain through health and fitness. 

For example if you’re overweight, your overall goal may be to lose weight. Now you need to create smaller goals to work toward the overall goal. 

The first thing you will want to do is determine your body composition which is the percentage of body fat you are currently carrying on your body. To figure this out you can either go to a gym to have it measured or you can create a FREE account at Team Beachbody and use the body fat calculator that is found under Fitness Tools. You can also buy a body fat caliper and a tape measure to get really accurate measurements. This will provide you with your current percentage so you can set up realistic, safe, and progressive goals each month to get your body fat to normal levels.

Combine Cardio and Weights

To have a balanced weight loss workout regimen, you must combine cardio and weight training. The key here, is to be sure you are working at an intensity that will provide results. To know this you should know your target heart rate. Again you can use the tools on Team Beachbody to figure your target heart rate. 

A good daily balance of cardio and weights would be to alternate cardio and full-body resistance training. You can also do a combination of cardio and weights on your weight training days if you so choose.

Some examples of balanced workout regimens would be the P90X program which consists of 12 workouts that include resistance training, cardio training, plyometric training, abdominal training and yoga. 

If 90 days sounds like too much to commit to right away you can start with the 21 Day Fix Extreme. This program still provides you with that amazing combination of cardio and weights, but in quick 30 minute workouts that you do for 21 days.

If you are interested in a program that has a greater amount of cardio but still provides resistance training, TurboFire is a 90 day program that would work. 

You always want to choose a program that best aligns what you like and your goals. 

Of course if you prefer to do something different every day, you can always create a hybrid of multiple programs as long as you create a good combination of weights and cardio, and still allow for appropriate muscle recovery. A great options for creating a hybrid is Beachbody On-Demand. Beachbody On-Demand gives you access to over 150 workout programs plus a coach. With an online coach and Beachbody On-Demand you can definitely get the right mix of strength-training and cardio to reach your goals.

The Importance of Flexibility and Balance

Flexibility and balance is an important part of any routine, and most of us don’t do it enough or do it at all. The more you stretch and work on flexibility and balance the quicker you will recover. This means less aches and pains, and greater results with your workouts. You will also be less likely to skip a workout because your entire body is stiff and sore.

Some strength and cardio programs already have flexibility and balance training as a part of the program. Even if they are a part of the overall program, it is still a good idea to take an extra 5-10 minutes after each workout to stretch the entire body. As you utilize flexibility and balance training you will see your overall performance improve, and that your body will truly feel better.

If you're looking for a program that focused on flexibility but also includes some cardio and strength then check out PiYo, a pilates/yoga hybrid program that's harder than it looks

Get Your Daily Dose of Dense Nutrition

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. I know you have heard that before, and we all know that not everyone feels they have the time to prepare breakfast. Some of us barely have time to find our keys, let alone brew a cup of coffee before we’re out the door and on our way to work.

You do need to remember that if you’re looking to lose weight you have to have breakfast. If time is an issue then why not try a protein packed and nutrient-dense shake? They’re fast, easy to make, and your breakfast options becomes endless with your creativity. Make breakfast a priority and get total nutrition with Shakeology from Beachbody.

It is great when you can whip up breakfast with one of these delicious shakes in LESS THAN ONE MINUTE. Shakeology is truly YOUR Daily Dose of Dense Nutrition. It is packed with incredible amounts of high quality protein, antioxidants, phytonutrients, pre and probiotics, digestive enzymes, and superfoods that your body desperately needs and craves.*

Plus, Shakeology can help to increase your energy levels, and reduce junk food cravings. Because Shakeology’s key ingredients are derived from whole food sources, your body will be able to easily absorb and utilize the nutrients immediately.

Often people get stuck at the gym because they weren't told how to effectively mix of their workout routines, and unless you want to pay a personal trainer a bunch of money to create a program for you, you may find yourself in a rut.

Any easy solution to this problem is to get a done-for-you program that provides you with a balanced approach so you never get stuck not knowing what to do next.

And if you want to be even more successful, get a challenge pack that includes the first month's supply of Shakeology.

P.S. When you order a product or a program through the links on this page, I get a small commission from it, and you get access to me as your personal coach...for FREE!! So now you now have everything you need to be successful!

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