the importance of weights!

Any exercise is good, right?  There is some truth to that.  But, are you going to see the changes you want by doing the same exercises day in and day out? No.  The money is in the mix-up!  So often you will go to work out and you will A. go on the tread mill.  B. take a spin class  or C. go lift some light weights in a class or even worse, use the machines!  GAG

Yes, those things can get your heart rate up, but you should not do the same routine every day!  Make sure you get some real weights in once in a while!  Do some back squats, cleans and deadlifts!  Do not be afraid of heavier weights.  Now keep in mind, you have to have good form and do not over do it!  (i’m gonna get some tutorials going soon!) Mix up your lifts and your reps.  Now, lifting heavy is a great way to burn fat and build muscle, but so is lifting light.  Here’s a simple at home workout to give a shot at.  And for goodness sake time yourself!  Especially if you are just starting out!  Its so awesome to see progress on the stopwatch!   And keep in mind…our goal is NOT to workout for an hour!  Sometimes, that’s just not realistic in our busy lives!  So take a few minutes for yourself during kids’ nap time and do something for you!  You will be so glad you did!

So let me break down the workout…weighted lunges-I would love it if you used 10lb weights in each hand, but if you don’t have them use anything you can get.    An important note about lunges.  Make sure your head stays high!  Do not lean forward or backward.  Your weight should be centered and you want to push through your heel on the leg that is in front.  Your back knee should touch the ground or get as close to the ground as you can get it.

push ups- challenge yourself here! Again FORM is so important.  Place your arms slightly farther than shoulder width apart on the ground.  Make sure that your core is locked and you are not reaching down with your nose (ie..looking like your taking a drink from the stream.  no bueno. )  You want your hips and chest to touch the ground at the same time, and leave the ground at the same time.  No worms allowed.

sit ups- REAL sit ups people.  None of those wussy crunches.  Sit on the floor with your legs in a butterfly stretch position.  (heels together, knees out)  Find a towel or a pillow to support your lower back.  Reach your arms up over your head and lean all the way back until your hands touch the floor.  Then pull all the way up until your hands touch your toes.  now you’re ready!

Workout:  3 rounds of

30 weighted lunges (1 count each leg)

30 push ups

30 situps

feel free to cuss me out for this one in the comment box :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stay active today!  Go for a hike with the family, play in a turkey bowl, or go for a nice jog.  TRY to take it easy on the breads and desserts!  Enjoy time with the ones you love most!  I will be back tomorrow to help you burn off some of those calories!

Our goal is not to be skinny, but to be FIT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…who looks in better shape to YOU?

Lets talk about our diet ladies!  If you’re anything like me you’ve got that one thing that you can’t seem to quit.  It may even be several things!  I will put it all out there and say that I love chocolate.  I LOOOOVE chocolate so much that it sabotages everything that I’m trying to achieve.  BUT….before I say anything else, I just want say that I am not here for you to “get skinny”.  My goal is and always will be fitness!  Plus, ladies with meat on their bones are way hotter :)  So, we are not so much concerned with a scale but how we feel and how our clothes fit!

So, back to diet.  Let me tell you a typical day in the life of most people… we wake up and have a bowl of our favorite cereal, maybe some toast and a banana to be healthy.  In about 2 1/2 to 3 hours we are absolutely ravenous so we must have something filling.  Maybe we go to the vending machine and have a snickers bar, because hey, they have protein, right?  Or maybe we were really prepared and brought an apple to work.  Lunch time and we either go out for that salad, or we have a PB&J and a diet coke.  2 1/2 hours later we are so tired that we start to fall asleep wherever we stop moving.  Must have caffeine!  Coffee, soda, tea, what have you.  and of course a little snack.  Then dinner.  Either we are feeling lazy and order a pizza.  A veggie pizza because we are trying to be healthy today ;)  and some more diet coke.  And a maybe a breadstick .  Now, some of those options seemed ok.  apple, banana.  Now, lets break it down and explain a few things…

Breakfast:

cereal-carbohydrate= blood sugar up

toast- carbohydrate= blood sugar up

banana- carboydrate= blood sugar up

now, 2 hours later blood sugar crash= that I’m starving/tired feeling

so you kinda get the picture…. snickers=carbohydrate   pb&j, pure sugar=carbohydrate.  Diet coke= un-classifiable. ;)  pizza=CARB/FAT

So basically whats happening is you are ingesting TONS of carbohydrates, some fats and ZERO protein!  In other words Sabotage, diabetes, hyper children, mood swings, lethargy, sleeplessness…etc.

So, lets try something else.  One of the best, and realistic diets out there is   The Zone by Barry Sears.  Get this!  or research it!  The concept of the zone is to eat a certain amount of protein, carbs and fat at every meal.  That amount depends on your body type.  But, the reason these are so specific is because they all work together to keep blood sugar at a constant.  No spikes, no crashes. you feel great and have energy all day…and a bonus…you are NOT hungry ever!

My 24 hour challenge for you is to fit protein into your diet.  Eggs, lean meats with every meal!  Have a carbohydrate that is not so packed full of sugar.  this includes bread and fruit.  Which means, try some VEGGIES with your meat.  But most importantly, I’m going to challenge you to one day without preservatives.   Work out challenge of the day.  200 jumping jacks for time.  Get your stopwatch and go as fast as you can.  Get that blood flowin’ and I’ll be back with some more tips on Friday :)  and, leave some love and let me know how you did!!!

kristina

Betties Unite!

First off, I”d  just like to  say how excited I am to finally share what’s been dying to explode out of my brain for the past few years!  Let me break it down for you.  I love to exercise! Or rather…  I love exercise as long as it doesn’t take half of my day and all of my energy.  I never have considered myself a gym rat.  In fact, I’m like most of you.  A mom, a wife, a chef (not professional by any means) but busy busy busy.   The last thing in my life I want to do is go to some hour long weight lifting class and then spend another hour on the treadmill.  But as of today, I’m in the best shape of my life…even high school shape doesn’t compare.  What if I told you that for the last 3 years I’ve only averaged about 15 minutes of physical activity per day?  Well, its true!  I promise!  In this awesome blog I’ll talk about exercise, diet, beauty tips and other important stuff.  I plan on letting you in on some first hand personal trainer secrets.  Tips that will help motivate, inspire and educate you on REAL ways to get those changes you want! Tips that will help bring out YOUR inner Betty!  So do me a favor and follow me!!!

kristina