Monthly Archives: March 2012
15 Sweat-Your-Butt-Off-at-Home-for-Free Workouts
When it comes to cardio, most people initially think of hitting the treadmill or elliptical. And since many people don’t have kind of high-dollar equipment, doing cardio at home may not seem like an option. However, you don’t need a treadmill to get your sweat on.
If this is you, you probably have bought some kind of workout DVD in the past and subjected yourself to an hour of the worst music ever played in your house (or the planet for that matter). Fitness DVDs are notorious for having awful music and stale energy to boot. If the music wasn’t bad enough, you get to memorize every line they say whether you like it or not. Needless to say, the workout can get stale pretty quick.
Of course nothing beats the real thing – going to the gym and being led by a real live person. The energy of listening to killer high-energy music pumped out of giant speakers is enough to get your heart racing alone. However, if you aren’t able to get to a gym, you have another option.
This is where FitStudio comes in. Many of you know Steve and I are Fitness Advisors for FitStudio, powered by Sears. What does that mean? It means we help FitStudio design a site that helps people workout at home and reach their goals – FREE! One of our tasks is to design workouts and workout programs, like our BCx Express 30-Minute Workout and BCx Boot Camp.
Each workout has a list of all the exercises, complete with video instruction on how to do each exercise. After you learn the exercises, you can print the workout to follow on your own. The coolest part of this is you get to set your atmosphere, complete with your favorite music. With programs, like BCx, the faster you go, the quicker you get done – time being your trainer.
So, get your favorite music queued up and get ready to sweat to your favorite jams!!
Here are 15 FitStudio workouts you can do at home:
- The Lunge Hour Workout
- A Not-so-girlie Workout
- The Lean Jeans Workout
- Absolute 6-pack
- Superior Gluterior
- Fat-blasting Blitz
- Bcx Legs & Glutes Express
- Bcx Abs Express
- Lower Body Mission
- Cardio & Conditioning Mission
- The Thigh Jelly Jump-off
- March Madness Workout!
- Last Call for Weight Loss
- Be My “Valenfine” Workout
- New Ball, New Bod! (Fit Ball Workout)
Learn More About FitStudio & the FitStudio Team
- Join FitStudio for weekly workouts and tips
- View all FitStudio’s Workout Programs
- Read FitStudio’s helpful diet & fitness articles
- Search the FitStudio Exercise Library for new moves
- Shop for home fitness equipment
Coach’s Nutty Nanner Protein Shake
Since I’m not a huge fan of oatmeal (even though I eat it all the time because it’s so good for you), I decided to start adding it to my protein shakes. Here’s a meal replacement shake I made today – and BOY is it good!!
Fat Free Milk or Water
2 Scoops Designer Whey Vanilla Praline Protein Powder
1/8 cup Coach’s Oats
1 tsp Peanut Butter
1/2 Banana
Stevia (to taste)
Ice
527 calories, 52gms of protein with milk
427 calories, 42gms of protein with water
The Coach’s Oats, along with the taste of Peanut Butter, gave it an extra nutty flavor and texture. Very yummy!! The fat from the peanut butter and whole grain oats slow digestion so I will not only feel full longer, but I’ll absorb more of the protein. Enjoy! 
Feeling are WEAK, yet YOU are STRONG!
We can’t allow our feelings, in the moment, affect the moments to come. We have to base our decision on what we know – and trust me, we all KNOW what we NEED to do today.
When is the last time you skipped a workout or ate something you shouldn’t have and thought “I’m so glad I did that”? I don’t know about you, but that’s NEVER happened to me. My poor decisions in the moment only left me with a bunch of yucky regret.
Quit Talking Yourself Out of It
If you give yourself enough time, you can easily talk yourself into, or out of, doing just about anything. We all have the unique ability to justify our actions. HOWEVER, no matter how good we are at convincing ourselves of doing anything other than taking the steps required to reach our goal, we have to live with the consequences – and they are never as “OK” as we try to make them seem.
Each time we skip a workout or cheat on our diet, we are single-handedly sabotaging our progress – and not just for a 1-hour workout or one day of clean eating. Normally, when we goof, it’s bigger than that and can even take up to a week to correct.
Make Yourself Proud
Don’t allow your body to tell it what IT wants to do. You tell it what YOU want it to do, to BECOME what YOU want to BECOME – so no matter how you feel today, you’ll be PROUD tomorrow.
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Motivation Mantra
I’ve started creating Motivational Mantra banners, so I thought I’d start posting them here, instead of just facebook, so you can pin them, steal them, share them and enjoy them. Hope you likey!
NEVER FORGET: Retrain Your Fitness Brain
If you’ve read my blog for a while, it’s probably not the first time you’ve heard me say “you reap what you sow”. This could not be any more evident than with fitness. It’s just a simple fact: You train hard, you will look like you train hard. If you neglect your body, you will look like you neglect your body.
Every time I crack down on my diet and train hard, I’m always amazed at how fast the body responds when you give fitness your 100%. Really? Am I really that surprised every single time this happens? Yup! I’m in the industry and somehow I forget the thrill of seeing your hard work and dedication really pay off – and I forget just how WORTH IT it is!.
Never Forget
It’s like I come up with a case of fitness retardation. Somehow, when I am in the middle of fat and lazy land, I forget what it feels to be at my ideal weight – and it takes me a while to “get it” again (yes, I’m slow). Note the word “ideal”. My ideal weight is just that magic weight where I personally feel my best. This may not be a number for you. Truth is, I don’t even know what my ideal weight is – I just know it when I find it.
For me, it’s that feeling of putting on jeans and not having fat roll over the sides. It’s being able to put on a fitted shirt and be comfortable in it without feeling like I have to suck in my gut the entire time to avoid popping a button (see hilarious video clip below!). It’s just the place I feel my absolute best – yet, when I’m diving in a bowl of chips and salsa, that feeling gets trumped by the taste of cilantro on my tongue. If only we could never forget.
Retrain Your Mind
If we can retrain our mind to think of the reality when we taste food or think of the reward when we are in the middle of a hard workout, we’d respond differently. Eventually our first thought when we face a high calorie food would not be how it tastes, but how it makes us feel – and I don’t know ANY high-calorie food that after I’ve eaten I thought “I am SO glad I ate that, I feel SO good!” And all those times we’re tempted to skip our workouts, if we could just remember how GREAT they make us feel in that very lazy pity-party moment, we’d RUN to the gym!
Reality
You truly do reap what you sow. We may not turn into a french fry after going to McDonalds, but I can guarantee you won’t feel, or look, as good as when you eat quality food and do quality work.
“Being fit feels better than food tastes”
Crap in = Crap out
Quality in = Quality out
It’s just that simple and it’s worth it!
PROTEIN SNACK: NatCat’s Protein Balls
If you are like me, you are always looking for a new healthy high-protein treat. So, after my shout out on twitter, I got some twitterific recipes which I’ll be sharing periodically right here!
Meet Natalie Christman
Natalie is a fitness instructor, hair stylist, licensed massage therapist, music, dance, art, wife, sister, family and motivator.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatcatChristman
Website: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/natcat
Natalie’s Protein Balls Recipe:
8tblsp- PB2
3tblsp- natural peanut butter
1/2c- Chocolate Protein
3tblsp- honey
1/2c- oats
Mix ingredients. If too sticky add a little more protein powder until dry and clumpy. Roll into ping pong sized balls and place on wax paper. Freeze until firm.
Thanks NatCat!!
I am SO trying these!!
FAT TO FAB: Get Your Abs Ready for the Beach!
Bikini season is here and, if you’re like me, you’re more aware of your midsection than ever. It’s time to trim up and get rid of some of the winter fluff!. You’re abdominals are already there, we just need to shed the layer of fat hiding them and tone them up.
Six Pack or Just Plain Flat?
Abs come in different shapes and sizes. Some of you may want those ice cube abs “Marky Mark” Wahlberg showed in his old Calvin Klein ads. Most people just want a nice flat smooth surface, free of lumps and bumps. Although the training may be slightly different depending on your goal, one thing remains the same – diet and cardio is a must.
Uncover Your Abs
Everyone has abs – you just might not be showing yours. Sorry pFIT pFANS, although I’ll be giving you ab exercises today, let me first point you to some cardio to burn off that extra layer of fat that’s hiding your abs, no matter what shape they are in. Whether you have a 2 pack or a six pack, you still have lines under that fat and the only thing that will reveal it, is burning more calories than you eat. So it’s time to decrease your caloric intake and increase your calorie burn. Don’t have a treadmill or elliptical? No worries!! I’ve got ways for you to scorch and torch that fat on your living room floor!
Fight the Fat
Perform each exercise as quickly as you can for one minute! Get your timer out! My favorite ones are the Gymboss & the Interval Timer for the iPhone.
Keep your abs tight throughout this entire kickboxing inspired cardio workout.
Butt-kicks
Air Squats
Jumping Jacks
Squat Cross (One arm only per round round)
Squat Cross Knee (One knee only per round)
Repeat 2 Times
Cardio & Core
Planks, Pushups and mountain climbers require you to hold your core tight. Add in a few cardiovascular exercises and you get to tone the midsection and burn fat too.
10 Rotational Push-ups
20 Steam Engine
10 5 Second Football Stomp With Sprawl
20 Plank Jax
10 Plyometric Double Knee Jump
20 Mountain Climber
10 Seconds Rest
Repeat 2 Times
8-Pack
The following 8 exercises will hit your abs in every direction, upper abs, lower abs and obliques. Remember to keep your tummy tight throughout each exercise, keep your butt and shoulders off the floor through the crunches for the best possible ab-crunching action. This workout can be done often. However, if you want to work on those “ice-cube” abs, you’ll need to add in more weighted abdominal exercises, and those will require at least a day of rest between workouts just like regular weight routines.
10 Sit-up
25 Weighted Crunch
10 Sit-up
25 Bicycle Kick
10 Sit-up
25 Snowboarder Crunch (one side per round)
10 Sit-up
25 Snow Angel
Repeat 2 Times
Are You Taking Baby Steps Toward Your Goal?
When it comes to fitness, most of us do not have any patience for slow results. With that said, how come so many people choose to take baby steps to get to their goal? Don’t you want to sprint and LEAP your way to success?
Watching a person on a slow path to fitness success is as painful as waiting for Tim Conway’s old -man character to shuffle, inch by inch, across the Carol Burnette’s stage back in the day. Of course, we all got a kick out of watching everyone suffer through his slow-mo pace but there is nothing funny about watching someone shuffle through their weight loss or fitness journey – when I know good and well they can reach their goal a lot faster if they took bigger steps.
Listen, if you have talked yourself into taking the slow and easy path, think again. Although your plan has to be one you can live with, you also have to live with the pace in which you get results. If that pace is too slow for your personality type, you are likely to give up. Maybe, just MAYBE, you need to SUCK IT UP and RAMP THINGS UP so you get to your goal faster.
Honestly, what do you really have to lose? So what – you skip a few party favors, you back off on the burgers, you add a few more 30-minute cardios, you quit eating such big portions, you lay off the booze for a while. REALLY? Is it THAT hard? People do it every single day, so why not you too?
Ask yourself this: Is food really more important than how you look and feel? Is laziness what you want to define you? Don’t let lame excuses and lack of faith in what you can accomplish get in the way from taking that leap of faith in what fitness can do for you.
There is someone JUST like you, with all YOUR excuses, with all YOUR struggles, with YOUR workload, with YOUR past and with YOUR same resources (or lack of) reaching their goal quickly – all because they are taking LEAPS and BOUNDS, not baby steps.
Try one of our FREE programs & LEAP your way to success:
BCx Express™ (30-minute fat-melting body-toning workout)
BCx Boot Camp™ (1-hour body transformation workout)
BEYOND THE STRAW: Trading Shakes for Cakes!
It’s time to go beyond the protein shake straw and trade the blender for a mixer so we can cook up some protein treats!
As a sequel to my last protein supplement blog “Behind the Straw“, my blog on protein smoothies, I am calling all fit chefs to fess up and share your favorite and unique protein treats including protein waffles, muffins, bars and other creative treats made with protein powder.
After tweeting out a request to see what kind of response I would get, I realized there are many of you eating some really good high-protein grub so I am making it my mission to spread the love! Here’s a sneak peak of a couple of my favorite recipes so far.
Protein Waffles by Julianne Talley
“I am a musician ♪ ♫ ♪ – a cancer survivor, sister to two older brothers, mom to three amazing girls and the lover and friend to an amazing man.”Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julianne.talley
- 2 c flour
- 1/4 c protein powder
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 T sugar
- Egg substitute (equal to 2 eggs)
- 2 c low-fat milk
- 1/4 c light oil (calls for 3/4 but I don’t use that much)
- Add whatever you want to it..cinnamon, walnuts, banana or fruit slices
Protein Muffins by Ozzie Elyashiv
“Proud dad! Into fitness, nutrition, technology & TV. I sell fitness supplements & develop mobile games & apps for iOS. Love the gym!”
President of MuscleTov Sales & Marketing
Twitter is @oztheuzi
website www.oztheuzi.com
RECIPE:
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour or buckwheat flour- 3/4 cup ground flax seed
- 3/4 cup oat bran
- 1/2 cup stevia
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup vanilla or plain almond milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (can also use coconut oil)
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 apples, peeled, shredded
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped mixed nuts
- 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
SHOW & TELL
To share your recipe, please give us your name, blog or website, twitter username, facebook URL and tell us what you do. Are you a mom, trainer, marathon runner or health nut. I will feature some of the best entries in a follow up blog.
LAST CHANCE to Go to Mexico with Us!
LAST CHANCE TO ENTER TO WIN A TRIP TO MEXICO!
FitStudio is giving SEVEN lucky winners a one-of-a-kind fitness VACATION FOR TWO at the plush El Dorado Royale Spa Resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. That’s 14 people who get to spend time with us in Mexico FREE!! CLICK ON THE BANNER TO ENTER!
Come join Steve and I, along with FitStudio trainers:
The Angry Trainer (Alfonso Moretti), as seen on Fox, MTV & NBC
Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness, as seen on the NBC Today Show
Scott Herman, as seen on MTV’s Real World of Brooklyn
Get your body beach ready!
Choose your FitStudio fitness program & get ready with the trainers you’ll be vacationing with:
BCx Boot Camp with Steve & Bonnie
Real Strength with the Angry Trainer
Better Beach Body with Scott Herman
Naked Fitness with Andrea Metcalf
Book Your Vaca with Us!
Don’t want to take your chances? Book your all-inclusive fitness vacation TODAY – and if you WIN, they’ll REFUND your money! You can’t beat that! Click on the banner below to get more information on your personalized vacation!
