Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Week #14 Sweet Free
Week 14 Challenge: Sweet Free
Do you have control of your sweet tooth? Here's the real test! For one week, no sweets or deserts!
This includes, but is not limited to:
ice cream, candy, chocolate, pie
cake, cookies, brownies,
pastries, smoothies, etc
Monday, June 4, 2012
Week #13 - HITT
Complete the following workout 3 times this week. {You may want to space these workouts out as soreness may occur :)}...I love this workout!
High Intensity Interval Training: Sprint Interval Workout
This sprint interval workout is a type high intensity interval training (HIIT)that helps build endurance, increase your anaerobic threshold and burn more calories and fat both during and after your workout. For this workout, you'll have a longer warm up (10 minutes) before going into 4 all-out sprints at a Level 9 on this perceived exertion chart for 30 seconds each. Between each sprint, you'll recover at an easy pace for 4.5 minutes, giving you plenty of time to get ready for the next sprint.
Keep in mind that all-out effort is very challenging, so modify the sprint intervals as needed to fit your fitness level and goals. You can do this workout on any cardio machine (set to manual mode) or with any outdoor activity such as walking, running or cycling. This workout is best for intermediate or advanced exercisers.
Time
|
Intensity/Speed
|
Perceived Exertion
|
5 min.
|
Warm up at an easy-moderate pace
|
4-5
|
5 min.
|
Baseline: Increase speed gradually to a comfortable, moderate pace
|
5
|
30 seconds
|
Sprint all out as fast as you can
|
9
|
4.5 min
|
Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
|
4-5
|
30 seconds
|
Sprint all out as fast as you can
|
9
|
4.5 min
|
Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
|
4-5
|
30 seconds
|
Sprint all out as fast as you can
|
9
|
4.5 min
|
Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover
|
4-5
|
30 seconds
|
Sprint all out as fast as you can
|
9
|
4.5 min
|
Cool down at an easy pace
|
3-4
|
Total :
|
30 Minutes
|
"Remember that balance, posture and core muscles are the foundation for a good sprinter. Your goal should be to run at a faster speed, while exerting less energy.
Short and fast bursts of running have been proven to be more effective than hour-long jogs. You can't help but all those people that try to get in shape, and start doing long jogs, and six months later, there are no changes in their performance or appearance. Sprint training also saves time that would have been wasted doing traditional exercises." --Wikihow
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Week #12 Water
This week 's challenge
is super simple. We are going by the old urban legend of 8 glasses of 8
oz. of water a day. Doctors from Mayo clinic have yet to find where or
who started this magic '8x8' or if there is any basis to it, but we are doing
it anyway. While there is controversy over some of the benefits of drinking a
certain amount of water one thing that seems to remain somewhat consistent is
the aid in weight-loss when eating foods that contain a lot of water in them to
give you the feeling of 'fullness'.
Is water important? Well let’s see, other than making up 50%-60% of our bodies, regulating body temperature, helping our breathing, transporting nutrients, carrying away waste and helping our muscles function, water is pretty much useless. Oh, and you need water or, after three days without it, you’ll die.
So in other words, water is pretty darn essential. It can even be an extremely important (and often unappreciated) weight loss factor.
Somehow, though, water is one of the most neglected parts of our diet. Some of us possibly go an entire day at times without one glass! Every part of your body is dependent on and comprised of water, and the most important parts need even more. Your brain is made up of 75% water, your blood 82% and your lungs nearly 90%.
Besides being a vital component of your body, water also helps to reduce weight. The more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. When you are dehydrated – even before you start becoming thirsty – your liver has to help the kidneys function and can’t metabolize fat as quickly. Your metabolism slows down, causing some unwanted fat to remain.
If your body is used to not getting water, it actually stores more in ankles, hips and thighs. In other words, it doesn’t trust you to keep bringing water, so it keeps what it can get, like a thirsty cactus. Once it realizes the water will keep coming, your body will get rid of the stores and you’ll lose weight!
I am posting a few
articles and letting you decide for yourself whether or not you think water is
beneficial. I tried to find some credible websites and am just putting the
information out there.
From Sparkpeople:
Water
is a Secret Ingredient Card of Weight Loss
-- By Zach Van Hart,
Staff Writer
Is water important? Well let’s see, other than making up 50%-60% of our bodies, regulating body temperature, helping our breathing, transporting nutrients, carrying away waste and helping our muscles function, water is pretty much useless. Oh, and you need water or, after three days without it, you’ll die.
So in other words, water is pretty darn essential. It can even be an extremely important (and often unappreciated) weight loss factor.
Somehow, though, water is one of the most neglected parts of our diet. Some of us possibly go an entire day at times without one glass! Every part of your body is dependent on and comprised of water, and the most important parts need even more. Your brain is made up of 75% water, your blood 82% and your lungs nearly 90%.
Besides being a vital component of your body, water also helps to reduce weight. The more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. When you are dehydrated – even before you start becoming thirsty – your liver has to help the kidneys function and can’t metabolize fat as quickly. Your metabolism slows down, causing some unwanted fat to remain.
If your body is used to not getting water, it actually stores more in ankles, hips and thighs. In other words, it doesn’t trust you to keep bringing water, so it keeps what it can get, like a thirsty cactus. Once it realizes the water will keep coming, your body will get rid of the stores and you’ll lose weight!
Plus, if you’re
suffering from cravings or having trouble controlling hunger, drinking water is
a quick, healthy way to feel full. Drink a glass when you normally snack, and
have one before your meal and right before going out.
Staying hydrated is not restricted to drinking water; milk, juice and other liquids – even some fruits and vegetables – are good sources of water. But avoid caffeinated beverages (coffee, soda), as they actually cause you to lose fluids and become dehydrated.
The recommended daily amount of water is eight cups a day, but don’t feel bad if you have neglected your water intake. Even if you constantly drink coffee or soda, you can make some simple changes to increase the water in your diet. Here are just a few ways to get more water every day:
Staying hydrated is not restricted to drinking water; milk, juice and other liquids – even some fruits and vegetables – are good sources of water. But avoid caffeinated beverages (coffee, soda), as they actually cause you to lose fluids and become dehydrated.
The recommended daily amount of water is eight cups a day, but don’t feel bad if you have neglected your water intake. Even if you constantly drink coffee or soda, you can make some simple changes to increase the water in your diet. Here are just a few ways to get more water every day:
·
Find the water bottles
with pop tops. They’re easier to carry around and use than twist off caps.
·
Keep a water bottle in
the car.
·
Set a rule with your
water glass: once it’s empty, it gets filled back up right away.
·
Drink orange juice or
eat fruit in the morning.
·
Get two water bottles,
one for work and one for home.
· Fill up one every day when you leave to go home,
and fill up the other before you go to bed each night. ·
Order water at
restaurants instead of soda. Even if you have something else to drink, have
water too.
·
Weekends are the
toughest, so be aware of your water and fluid intake throughout Saturday and
Sunday.
· Keep more than one water bottle in the fridge so you always have a cold
one.
·
Follow the example of a
SparkPeople member: this woman put a water glass on her windowsill with 8
pennies on one side. Each time she filled up her glass and drank it, she moved
a penny to the other side, until all the pennies were moved. Great reminder
system!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Week #11 Sleep
Did you know getting much more or less than seven hours
of sleep is associated with a higher mortality rate and can cause weight gain? Adults should get between
seven and nine hours of sleep each night. Sleep quality is just as important as
the quantity of sleep you get. The Mayo clinic suggests seven steps that may
help you get better quality sleep.
Challenge: Incorporate
two of the above steps each night this week to improve your quality of sleep.
1. Stick
to a sleep schedule
2. Pay
attention to what you eat and drink
3. Create
a bedtime ritual
4. Get
comfortable
5. Limit
daytime naps
6. Include
physical activity in your daily routine
7. Manage
stress
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