Making New Years Resolutions a Reality

As 2009 is rapidly coming to an end and the New Year is approaching, the concept of a ‘new years resolution’ may be subtly (or not-so-subtly) nagging at the back of your mind. Why? Because New Year’s Resolutions are usually goals you make for yourself that you know will ‘be good for you’ but not particularly easy or enjoyable to achieve and maintain (if it were easy it wouldn’t really be worth making a resolution about right?).

One of the top New Years resolutions in North America deals with health and fitness; most of which fall into one or more of the following six categories:

 

·      Weight loss

·      Diet

·      Exercise

·      Physique/Body

·      Health

·      Fitness Level

 

Almost everyone struggles with or can improve in at least one of these areas (myself included)! It can be daunting to decide where to even begin picking a New Years resolution that is best for you – In fact, it is often easiest to just scrap it or pick something so easy it won’t be much of an accomplishment to reach it (this seems to be my approach in the past).

 

This year, I have decided to spend some time reflecting on my life this past year and choose something I believe will be a positive change for myself or for the lives of others, something I want to achieve. I know it must be challenging yet attainable and realistic.

 

I only have a few days left and promise to lock one down before the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve. In truth , I believe that by sharing this, it will make my goal more ‘real’ and  hopefully you (whoever you are) will hold me to it!

 

In addition, I invite you to do the same: to make 2010 a new year, a better year and decide upon one thing you can change or improve in your life – and the hardest part: to share it here with me on this blog. I would love to hear your resolutions (and hopefully it will inspire me or someone else), you never know who you touch.

But if you do decide to post, I warn you not to be surprised if I check in with you for a progress report.

 

Happy Resoluting!

7 Ways to Keep Fit over the Holidays

When it comes to the holiday season, everyone gets busier than usual, between Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, the onset of more social gatherings, holiday parties, and traveling, it is easy for your workout routine to suffer.

Unfortunately, the fact that the holidays also entail more drinking and eating than usual, it is a time one would think to be MORE important to keep up with one’s fitness regimen in order to keep ourselves from mirroring Santa Claus’ waistline or losing the fitness level we have built throughout the year.

Fortunately, with a little proactive planning, you can maintain your fitness level, no matter where you are or how busy you get. The key is to be creative and practice shorter but more intense workouts. Here are a few tips on how to keep in shape while you travel:

Do a "Condensed-but-Intense-Workout"

If you are familiar with my blog, you know that my entire philosophy revolves around the theory of ‘quality over quantity’ when it comes to working out. That being said, go ahead and customize your own 30 min workout.

For example, you may choose to warm up with 5 - 7 minutes of jumping jacks, running on the spot, vertical jumps, burpees or any other activity of your choice. Then combine three lower body exercises (eg. lunges, wall squats, one leg squats) and three upper body exercises (eg. chair dips, push-ups, running arms).Then finish up with some abdominal exercises, low back lifts and stretches.

Or, try one of my workouts throughout this blog, a couple I recommend include:

http://dynamicworkouts.blogspot.com/2009/12/ultimate-30-min-treadmill-workout.html

http://dynamicworkouts.blogspot.com/2009/12/30-30-cycling-workout.html

Get Up 30 Minutes Earlier

Our time over the holidays tends to be packed with family and friend events, shopping, baking, traveling etc. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day and not have time to squeeze in a workout. To defeat this, try getting up 30 minutes earlier, as difficult as it is, 30 minutes of sleep won’t kill you and the exercise in the morning will actually provide more energy throughout your day. Getting out of bed is the hardest part!Get Active in Airports

If flight delays leave you with extra time at the airport, take advantage of it. Store your luggage in an airport locker and take a brisk walk through the terminal or take a jog outside the airport.

Everything in Moderation

Rather than trying to stick to a diet over the holidays, go ahead and enjoy a little of your favorites. Dieting and depriving yourself makes for a miserable experiece and often leads to binging later on. Instead, have a snack such as an apple with peanut butter, or nuts and fruit, before your event or party so you don't arrive starving. Then choose 1 or 2 of your favorite indulgences and thoroughly enjoy them. This way you won't feel like you missed out but you also won't have overdone it.

Bring Tubes, Bands and More

Don't leave out fitness equipment when you’re packing for a trip. Bring fitness videos, sneakers, workout apparel, a bathing suit or other gear that you can fit in your bag. Inspirational memos from a trainer or a motivational CD could help you get moving. However, most people find keeping a picture of a piece of clothing they would like to wear and feel great in seems to work best.

Get a Jump Rope

Jumping rope is an incredible, efficient way to get in a few minutes of intense cardio exercise and it can be done just about anywhere. If you don’t have a jump rope, try climbing flights of stairs instead.
Here is an example jump rope workout to try:

http://dynamicworkouts.blogspot.com/2009/10/jump-your-way-fit-in-less-than-15.html

Plan to Relax

Don't overdo it. Staying fit is important, but don’t lose sight of the real reason for the holidays; spending time with family and friends. If the idea of exercising over the holidays makes your stomach turn, then view this as your time to take a break from it – a week or two won’t kill you. Bottom line: the holidays is the one time of year you should truly enjoy.

Ease Back Into Your Routine

Depending on how much you worked out during your travel, you may need to gradually ease back into your old routine. You may want to consider using lighter weights or decrease the intensity or the duration of your workouts until you can return to pre-holiday conditions.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

The ’30-30’ Cycling Workout

This workout is perfect when you want an incredible workout that will breed quick results and produce that euphoric endorphin high – not to mention that the time will fly by (This is one of my favorite workouts: fast yet efficient).

Like my 30 min treadmill workout, it can be intense, but only YOU will have the power over just how intense it can be – so if nothing is stopping you, give it everything you’ve got!

 Where to do it?? I perform this workout on a stationary spin bike in a gym, or on the trainer I have put my road bike on at home. If biking isn’t your thing you could definitely do this work out on an elliptical machine or any of the cardio machines in the gym.

And for all those real ‘cyclists’ and ‘triathletes’ – this is an excellent training workout – I actually learned it from a good friend and world-class ironman - it will make you strong, fitter and faster.

The incredible aspect about ’30-30’s’ is that it only really entails 15 minute of ‘all-out’ hard effort – which sounds easy enough but it is the limited recovery and high intensity bursts that make it very challenging – similar to running the 200m dash 30 times with only 30 seconds of recovery. By the 20^th repeat you will be feeling it – be strong and push through.

Resistance?? I recommend putting enough resistance on the bike so that your legs are NOT spinning out of control (anything from what feels like a flat road to a slight incline). You will likely have to add resistance on your sprints to keep from spinning out of control.

Modification: As mentioned above this workout is intense and is meant to be performed at a high level of exertion, that being said, if you don't quite feel at the level to handle the duration of the workout, it is better to shorten it (do less intervals) and maintain high intensity rather than skimp of the intervals and complete the whole time. If you are just beginning try 3-5 intervals, take a 5 min break of easy cycling and then repeat one more segment of 3-5 intervals.

Workout

5-7 Min Warm-Up

30 seconds ‘ON’ (Hard-Moderate- Hard Effort)

30 seconds ‘OFF’ (Recovery)

x 30 repeats

5-10 min Cool-Down

Definition of Exertion Levels:

Hard Moderate (HM): HR: 80%-90% of Max. Pace fast and a bit uncomfortable; breathing forceful. Improve anaerobic capacity and threshold, improved speed

Hard (H): HR: 90%-100% of Maximum Pace, a sprinting effort, unsustainable for long period of time;              labored breathing. Builds anaerobic and muscular endurance, increased power.

Recovery: Heart Rate (HR) comes back down. Perceived Exertion: Relaxed, getting your breathing                  back. Keep legs spinning but take speed and any resistance off the bike

ULTIMATE 30 MIN TREADMILL WORKOUT

This workout is one of the most efficient yet simple ways to push your fitness limits, blast calories and ultimately get into the shape of your life. The nature of this workout consists of high intensity intervals, which means it cannot be done every day.

Many people, especially fitness junkies and athletes, will finish this workout and feel the adrenaline, the endorphins and the results and think if they did it every day, they would get that much fitter (either that or they’ll never want to go through it again). However, this is not the case, the truth is, you cannot push your body to threshold everyday, doing so will lead to diminishing returns and likely burnout and/or injury.

The key is to constantly change up your workouts and keep your body guessing, so try to add this workout in 

once or twice a week as a substitute for your current workout.

The BIG MYTH people tend to fall into believing is that you need more than 30 minutes to get an incredible workout. The truth is, to sustain a longer workout, especially 50 min and over, you cannot perform with the same intensity you would in a shorter workout.                               

 – To get fitter and see big results you need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone – it’s okay to struggle, it makes you stronger!

I called this a treadmill workout because it is approaching winter and the convenience of a treadmill is very popular at this time of year, but this workout can also be done running outside or on an elliptical machine if you are injured and need a low impact substitute (I currently do most of my workouts on the elliptical, as a back injury has made me very sensitive to high impact running).

I am going to use a perceived scale of exertion rather than heart rate to indicate the level you should be at throughout the workout. Below are descriptions of each level:

Exertion Levels Defined

Easy (E): Heart Rate (HR) 50%-60% of max. Perceived Exertion: Relaxed, easy pace; rhythmic breathing. Beginning-level aerobic training; reduces stress, enjoyable

Easy Moderate (EM): HR: 60%-70% of Max. PE: Pace comfortable; slightly deeper breathing, conversation possible. Basic cardiovascular training; good recovery pace

Moderate/Tempo (M):HR: 70%-80% of Max. PE: Pace moderate; more difficult to       hold conversation. Improved aerobic capacity; optimal cardiovascular training

Hard Moderate (HM): HR: 80%-90% of Max. Pace fast and a bit uncomfortable; breathing forceful. Improved anaerobic capacity and threshold, improved speed.

Hard (H): HR: 90%-100% of Max. Pace a sprinting effort, unsustainable for long period of time; labored breathing. Anaerobic and muscular endurance, increased  power.

THE WORKOUT

Warm Up - 1.5 miles or 10 min

Stage 1 - 3 x 2min Interval

Breakdown: 1 min moderate - 30 sec hard moderate – 30 moderate - 1 min recovery 

*Repeat x 3

 Steady State/Recovery – 2 min

Stage 2 - 30 Seconds On (Hard Moderate to Hard) – 30 Off  (Easy/ Recovery) x 5

The ’30 seconds on’ should be as fast as you can go in a controlled effort

Cool Down – 5 min 

STRETCH – I cannot stress the importance of cool down and stretching enough – I’ve learned the hard – please do so before AND after your workout.

 

 

 

Washboard Abs

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive is about how to achieve 'rockhard' abs. Clearly the stomach is one the biggest trouble zones for men and women. However, due to biological predispositions women tend to struggle with this more (either that or they are more concerned about it).

So if you are doing extreme amounts of crunches and feel like you have tried everything in hopes of achieving washboard abs you are not alone. Abdominal exercises are some of the most common exercises performed by everyone from beginners to elite athletes. However, to get a flat stomach you need to do more than just ab exercises, you see, everyone has the ability to get a six-pack, it is often just hiding under a layer (or two) of belly fat. So the key is to reduce your belly fat in order to start showing that stomach.

There are a combination of things you can do to kick start your Perfect Stomach transformation:

Abdominal Exercises

There are many exercises you can do that are simple and can be done at home to help strengthen all your abdominal muscles. I recommend getting an exercise ball (they have these in virtually every gym as well). Using the ball for crunches requires that you stabilize your torso while balanced on the ball and you end up using more muscles than when performing standard crunches. However a few of my favorite abs exercises include:

-The bicycle
-Leg Lifts
-Scissor Legs
-V-Ups

I recommend 2 by 30 seconds of each exercise

Nutrition

For most people (including myself) this is the hardest part!

In order to eliminate body fat and ‘tone up’ requires proper nutrition. Contrary to many fad diet beliefs, to achieve long lasting results a balanced diet of carbohydrate, protein and fat is crucial. Eating several small meals throughout the day helps many people stay more satisfied and reduces hunger.

Other successful tips for reducing fat and avoiding weight gain include:

-getting enough calcium
-eating breakfast
-eating high fiber foods
-staying well-hydrated by drinking water throughout the day

Also make sure not to cut calories too drastically or you could inadvertently lower your metabolism.

Cardio Exercise

I think this is one of the most critical components of a great stomach. I do not believe in spot reduction; for example, you cannot do 100 crunches and expect perfect abs. You need to perform aerobic activity – the more intense, and the more dynamic the better. This site provides all kinds of great examples of workouts you can try. Cardio, especially intense cardio, blasts calories and burns fat and will be the key to an overall great physique.

Core Exercise

You can also perform core stability exercises to improve your torso strength, balance and stability – this is the essence of Pilates classes. Your core is made up of the abdominals, lower back and hips and creates a foundation for all other movement. These muscles stabilize the spine and create a strong center around which the extremities can move. A strong core is important in every aspect of movement; especially power movements.

The plank exercise is a good indicator of core strength. Test your own core strength by seeing how long you can hold a plank position, work up to a one minute hold.

Again, I stress, there is no single isolated exercise that will breed perfect abdominals, it's a combination of things that must be incorporated into your everyday lifestyle.

TABATA FUSION WORKOUT: ULTIMATE RESULTS WORKOUT

The following workout is very powerful when done correctly; however, it requires a certain ‘base fitness level’ to complete. If you are active and workout on average 2-5 times per week at a level that gets your heart rate up to an uncomfortable level, you should give this workout a try. It is the ultimate cure for breaking through any sort of plateau, whether it’s weight-loss or fitness-level related.

This workout uses what are called ‘Tabata Intervals”. Tabata intervals are claimed to be the ‘magical exercise’. I have tried and experimented with them and the truth is they’re not as ‘magical’ as the claim. However, using components of them in your workout really does breed seemingly magical results.

So what is a Tabata Interval?
Essentially it’s just 20 seconds of 100% all out high intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This would be considered 1 cycle.
You do this for a totally of 8 cycles.

Now the big promise about this is that you can get an incredible workout in just 4 minutes, and that’s completely true – it’s an incredible workout, but it’s still not going to burn more than a 30 – 45 minute workout (unless you are simply walking).

My belief is that you can combine the power of the Tabata intervals into your workout and get a truly magical yet intense 20-30 min workout that will be more effective than a 45-60 min workout. The power of this lies in how much intensity you can handle and how much you can push yourself.

Below is an example of a powerful Tabata-Fusion Workout I have created:

**I will warn you that it’s intense, but the true fitness results and calorie burn are a product of how intense you can be – so go ahead and challenge yourself to reach beyond your comfort zone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warm-Up

6 min Cardio (this can be running, biking, elliptical, treadmill – even running on the spot at home)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interval Round One:

Round 1 – Sprint 20 seconds -
Rest 10 seconds (can do sprints on the spot if space or resources are limited)
Round 2 – Pushups 20 seconds
- Rest 10 seconds
Round 3 – Mountain Climbers 20 seconds -
Rest 10 seconds
Round 4 – Burpees 20 seconds
- Rest 10 seconds (see http://dynamicworkouts.blogspot.com/2009/09/plyometrics-workout.html for Burpee explanation)

Repeat Cycle 3 times for a total of approx 6 minutes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 min Active Cardio Recovery
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interval Round Two:

Round 1 – Sprints 20 seconds -
Rest 10 seconds
Round 2 – Pushups 20 seconds -
Rest 10 seconds
Round 3 – Squat Jumps (Squat down – jump straight up and reach hands to sky) 20 seconds -
 Round 4 – Pull Ups or Burpees 20 seconds -
Rest 10 seconds

Repeat Cycle 2-3 times depending on how you feel and how much time you have
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cool Down – Easy Cardio for 4-6 min
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Time 24 -28 min

Note: You can increase or decrease the warm up and cool down time, depending on how you feel and how much time you have.

Important: Stretch out afterward to avoid tightening up

Try These Exercises to Reduce Lower Back Pain

If you have lower back pain, strengthening and stretching the muscles surrounding your back may help.

Strengthening Exercises: focused on your back, stomach, and leg muscles.

Plank: strengthening exercise for back, abs and neck (also strengthens arms and legs)

Lie on your stomach, with your elbows and forearms on floor. In a push-up position, balance on your toes and forearms. Keep your back straight and legs straight. (Like a plank) Tighten your abs. Hold position for 10 seconds. Relax. Repeat five to ten times. If this exercise is too difficult, use balance on your knees instead of your toes.

Side Plank: strengthens the obliques (side abdominal muscles)

Lie on your right side. Place your right elbow and forearm on floor. Tighten your abs. Push up until shoulder is over elbow. Keep your body in a straight line – feet, knees, hips, shoulders, head aligned. Only forearm and side of right foot are on floor (feet are stacked). Hold position for 10 seconds. Relax. Repeat five to ten times. Repeat on left side. If this exercise is too difficult, balance on stacked knees (bend knees and keep feet off floor) instead of feet or stagger your feet rather than stacking them.

Wall Squat: strengthening exercise for back, hips and quads and, surprisingly, this exercise is great for the core.

Stand with your back against a wall, heels about 18 inches from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart. Tighten abs. Slide slowly down the wall into a crouch with knees bent to about 90 degrees. If this is too difficult, bend knees to 45 degrees and gradually build up from there. Count to five and slide back up the wall. Repeat 5 times.

Leg and arm raises: strengthening exercise for back and hip muscles.

Lie on your stomach, arms reached out past your head with palms and forehead on floor. Tighten your abs. Lift one arm (as you raise your head and shoulders) and the opposite leg at the same time (ex.right arm and left leg at the same time), stretching them away from each other. Hold for 8-12 seconds. Switch sides.

As I said above, I never realized just how important a strong core is. I would highly recommend taking a Pilates class in addition to your current regimen.

Basic Crunches: upper abdominal exercise


Lie on back, knees bent. Do not anchor feet. (Anchoring the feet or keeping the legs straight along the floor can strain the lower back). Arms may be folded over your chest or be held beside your ears with elbows out. Tighten your abs. Keep the lower back flat on the floor and neck straight. Keep chin tucked - looking at ceiling helps prevent tilting head up or down. Exhale when raising your torso off the floor, and inhale when lowering. Just raise your head and shoulder off the floor –3 to 6inches is enough. Sitting up all the way is hard on your lower back. Do 10 repetitions.

Be very careful not to pull on your neck or you could overstretch a neck muscle. Keep your elbows out to the side to help avoid pulling neck forward. Don't start out doing too many crunches - the number of crunches performed should be increased slowly.

Move slowly when performing crunches. Do not rely on momentum.

Bicycle Crunch: obliques exercise (sides of the abdomen)

Lie flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Bring your feet off the ground and bend knees to a 90 degree ankle. Place hands behind ears and reach right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee. Legs should be moving toward each elbow and back in a bicycle motion.

Reverse Crunch: lower abdominal exercise


Lie flat on your back, feet in the air. Bend knees 90 degrees. Place hands under buttocks for support and make sure your lower back remains flat on the floor. Tightening your lower abdomen, lift your buttocks a few inches off your hands. Hold for a moment and lower back down. Do 5 to 15 repetitions.

Leg Lifts: lower abdominal exercise


Lie flat on back. Bend one knee and keep foot flat on floor. Tighten abs. Lift opposite leg about 45 degrees. Hold for a count of 3. Repeat 10 times. Switch sides.

Stretching Exercises: to keep your muscles and other supporting tissues flexible and less prone to injury




Always warm up before stretching exercises. Five minutes of walking, or exercise bike, elliptical trainer, or even marching on the spot is enough. Not warming up before stretching leaves your back susceptible to injuries, causing back pain. Warm muscles are more flexible than cold muscles and are less likely to tear.

Runners' Lunge: hip flexor stretch (low back pain is often caused by overdeveloped or tight hip flexors)

Step into a lunge position. Keep your toes pointed forward and your upper body straight. Support your weight on your thigh, then press down with your hands and extend your hips forward until you feel a stretch from the front of your hip. Hold 15 to 30 seconds, then switch sides. This can also be done from a kneeling position.

Pelvic Tilt: lower back stretching exercise (also strengthens abs)

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Tighten your buttocks and abdomen, flattening the small of back against the floor. Hold for a count of 5. Slowly relax. Repeat5 - 15 times.

Knee to Chest: gluteal stretching exercise

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Grasp your left leg behind the knee/back of thigh and pull knee towards left shoulder. Hold for a count of five. Switch sides. Repeat 5 times.

Piriformis Stretch: stretches Muscles that lie beneath gluteal muscles

Sit on a chair
Place your left ankle over your right leg, just above the knee, and lean forward. 
Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.

The Cat /Cow: (from yoga) back stretching exercise

Begin on all fours, hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. 
Inhale as you drop tummy towards the floor and look up over your head. 
Exhale as you bring your tummy back up, rounding your back as you tuck your chin in and tuck your tailbone in. 
Move slowly back and forth between these two positions pausing on each pose. 
Repeat about 5 times.

The Cobra: back and chest stretching exercise

Lie flat on your stomach, forehead to ground, with your arms bent and palms down on the ground under the shoulders. 
Push downward with arms as you raise your upper torso and arch your back. 
Hold for 3 full breaths before slowly bringing the upper torso back down to the ground.