The Reality of Health and Weight Loss

Jump into summer fitness! 

I’ll be starting the 30 Day Youtube Workout Calendar I created on Monday, May 13th— you should too!

Benefits of the program:

1. It’s totally free!

You can work out in your own home for free. No gym membership required!

2. Effective workouts in less time

This workout calendar uses several different types of workouts proven to speed up your metabolism and turn on your fat burning capacities. Here they are:

• Circuit and high intensity interval training 3x/week. If you want to lose fat, interval and circuit training are the way to go. Both circuit and interval training keep burning calories even after the initial workout is over, and they’re the best fat burners.
• Strength training twice a week. Read my article about why strength training is critical not just for fitness but also for weight loss.
• Flexibility training once a week. Get long, lean muscles, and protect yourself from injury. Near the end of the program, these flexibility workouts will add in a strength component to help you tone up.

3. Increase in intensity

If you don’t train hard, you won’t see results. That’s why I designed this program to increase the intensity of the workouts as the weeks went on.

4. Moral support

You guys, I’ll be doing this with you. I’ll be sweating and pushing myself and working through each day alongside you like the Jiminy Cricket of personal trainers but on Tumblr. I’ll be sharing recipes and swapping lame metaphors and awkward jokes with you as we work through this program together.

I also have an additional list of easier and more difficult workouts so you guys can customize the intensity of the program.

Even if you miss the start date, you can always visit this tag on my blog or the start page to see all the posts and you can join me whenever you have the chance :)

START DATE: Monday, May 13th

Let’s get working!!

“Skipping breakfast is often a big no-no if you are trying to lose or maintain weight because it leads to high-calorie cravings later.”

Source: Web MD.

I know that eating breakfast isn’t always on the top of our priority list when you’re running late or not feeling hungry, but it’s important! Eating a good, healthy breakfast improves your mood and energy levels. 

Prepare a parfait or smoothie makings in the fridge before you go to bed! That way, you’ll have no excuse. 

5 Minute Meals

photo by adactio via Flickr Creative Commons

Your shoes lose cushioning, shock absorption, and stability over time. Prevent injuries and know when you need to replace your running shoes!

Loss of cushioning in the midsole usually leads to an increase in joint pain and shin splints. The midsole is responsible for cushioning and stability, and it breaks down before the treads of the sneakers.

If you run several times a week but don’t count miles, try and replace them around every six months. 

5 Steps from Couch Potato to Runner

photo by puuikibeach via Flicker Creative Commons

It’s final exam season for those of us in college!

I know you may be stressed and feel like you’re too tired or busy to exercise, but as it turns out exercising is the perfect cure for fatigue and mental exhaustion. Exercise lowers stress levels, boosts brain power, and improves energy better than stimulants such as coffee.

From WebMD:

Not only does exercise improve your body, it helps your mental function, says certified trainer David Atkinson.

“Exercise increases energy levels and increases serotonin in the brain, which leads to improved mental clarity,” says Atkinson, director of program development for Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas.

All that makes for a more productive day.

“It is clear that those who are active and who exercise are much more productive at work,” says Todd A. Astorino, assistant professor of kinesiology at California State University-San Marcos.

Go hit the gym!

photo by lululemon athletica via flickr creative commons

You can’t pick where your body loses fat— your genes do. It all depends on your body shape. If you want to read more about the details about why you can’t choose where your body loses weight, check out this awesome article.

Strength training combined with high intensity interval training are the keys to reducing your body fat. 

My free 30 Day Youtube Workout Calendar has both strength training and HIIT! Check it out :)

photo by  Laurent Jean Philippe via CC on flickr

I’m reading The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman — I highly recommend it! 

In a nutshell, the book tells us that too much sugar and white flour causes insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is responsible for weight gain and a host of other diseases.

The foods we eat change which genes are expressed. Bad foods express genes that cause diseases and weight gain, good foods prevent diseases and weight loss.

Note: I know this is #226 and it’s been posted late! I had some trouble deciding if I had enough time to write an article to go with this, and thanks to my ballroom competition (fun but time consuming) I didn’t.

photo by Vox Efx

photo by lululemon athletica

Keep going!

photo by by lululemon athletica

My routine includes yoga, running, ballroom dancing, and P90x. Different? Absolutely! But that’s why I love it so much!

Photo by lululemon