Posts tagged gym
30 Days of Motivation: Do It Anyway
Quote of the Day: “I’m a little tired but I’m going to workout anyway. I’m a little hungry, but I’m sticking to my diet anyway. I’ve failed before but I’m trying it again anyway. I’ll never be perfect, but practice makes me better in every way.” Bonnie Pfiester
Scripture of the Day: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Do It Anyway
We should not let our past, present feelings or experiences keep us from what we want in the future. If you are starting a new fitness routine or diet, you will be sore, tired, hungry, doubful and even frustrated at times. However, you don’t have to let that stop you from trying.
Sadly, there are people who let muscle soreness keep them from going back to the gym. Or, they let a little initial hunger or frustration with the scale keep them from sticking to their diet. We should expect our body to go through some changes as it gets to it’s new routine. Sometimes our body is just fine but our mind wants a treat or a break.
Whatever the temptation is, stick to your goal anyway. Each time you don’t let your body control your actions, each time you decide to stay disciplined no matter what you are feeling, each time you go to the gym when you really just want to go to bed, you will get just a little stronger – and it will make you better and better and better!
This year, no matter what life throws your way, do what you know you need to do anyway.
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Motivation Needed?
One of the most common statements I hear is “I just wish I was more motivated to workout”. I want to say “DUH! Me too!”. It is rare to meet a person who just can’t wait to go to the gym and workout every single day of their life. While there are some rare breeds (not sure what breed they are because they surely can’t be human!), but I do know they exist. However, I would venture to say most of my human friends go to the gym strictly out of self-discipline, as a result of purposefully creating healthy habits.
Sadly, many people wait for the magical warm and fuzzies to happen – and they are still waiting (and will be waiting until the day they die) because, chances are, that motivating miracle will never come.
While different people are motivated by different things, it seems to me that tight pants, poor self-esteem, depression or stress would be pretty motivating to someone who is overweight. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always do it for people. There even some people who’s life is at risk due to poor health, and sometimes that doesn’t even do it for them.
Interestingly enough, feeling bad and being unhealthy may not even be what gets someone sweating. Sometimes it’s plain old greed – we want what others have. We look at their fit bodies and use our “I want that” nature for our own advantage to push us to work harder. Other times it’s looking at someone else’s success story that gives us the encouragement we need to think for just one minute we might be able to have it too.
Even if you do wake up one morning feeling disgusting enough to start working out, eventually you’ll feel good about yourself again – and it might happen way before you hit your goal.
Whether you are motivated or not, one thing you should realize up front is even the most magical motivation isn’t something you should ever rely on. Even if you do wake up one morning feeling disgusting enough to start working out, eventually you’ll feel good about yourself again – and it might happen way before you hit your goal. You may have big hopes and wake up so excited to aim high, and eventually begin to settle for less. It happens to the best of us.
The fact of the matter is “motivation” is a feeling, and feelings are NOT something you should EVER rely on. They lie to you, they fluctuate and they are not trustworthy at all. You need to ONLY rely on your decisions and your commitment. As soon as you realize that your success hinges on your actions, no matter what your feelings are, then you will be on the road to success.
Make a commitment today to start ignoring your feelings and focus on your actions, focus on your goals and focus on your progress. You can’t control your feelings at all times, but you can control how you react. Start preparing your mind for a successful 2015.
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Big, Bold & Beautiful Gym Bag Give-a-Way
A few weeks ago, I featured the Home-Gym-Home Fivesse Bag on my blog, showing off this purse-size bag I toted across 8 states on a fun journey to Ms. Senior America. This week, I’m featuring the other Fivesse bag I took on the trip – the Home-Gym-Work bag.
This bag is much bigger than the Home-Gym-Home bag. The Home-Gym-Work bag has a ton of pockets (each labeled with cute pictures so you know exactly which each pocket was designed for) and has a place for everything 
you need to get ready at the gym – or on the road. This is also the bag I take with me on every weekend getaway – including our Thanksgiving vacation this weekend.
To show how roomy this bag is, I decided to unpack it (minus my dirty clothes) and show you everything that was currently in my bag after my trip. I already pulled out 2 pairs of jeans and a few shirts (and another pair of shoes) but, as you can see here, I still had a LOT of stuff in this bag!
Here are all the cute labels to show you where everything is supposed to go. So original!
In My Fivesse Bag
Socks- Shoes
- 5 tanks
- 3 long sleeve shirts
- 3 bra tops
- 1 pair of workout tights
- Laptop
- Power supply
- iPad
- Phone chargers
- Armpocket Armband for my iPhone
- Headphones
- 2 brushes
- Hairdryer
- Make up bag
- 2 cans of hairspray
- 2 protein bars
- Business cards
- Body Lotion
- Mouth wash
- Curling iron
- Beanie (to keep my Floridian noggin warm)
- Ball Cap
- 3 pair fresh undies
- and a partridge in a pear tree (OK, maybe not that) lol
ONE LUCKY GIRL
If you like this bag, FOLLOW the giveaway on Facebook or Instagram and post a comment on either of these posts: We will be giving away 2 50% OFF coupons (one on each page) so you can get this bag for half the regular cost!!
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Fat-Burning Leg Workout
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Built with Thermo Heat.
Here’s one of our latest leg workouts, designed to burn fat, strengthen and sculpt!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/GZiQTwlKVg8]
Turn Up The Heat Fat Burning Leg Written Workout
10 Walking Lunges (20 steps)
10 Thrusters
X3 (with little to no rest)
15 Leg Press
15 Squat Jumps
X3 (with little to no rest)
15 Leg Extensions
15 Double Unders
X3 (with little to no rest)
What is ThermoHeat?
ThermoHeat is a new thermogenic (fat burner) that’s out. Steve explains what thermogenics are, how they work, and what Thermo Heat does.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/KMTDHuw8XyI?list=UUrXu19VJfP9Sk6Y3WaaY8rw]
http://www.advancedmolecularlabs.com/…
http://pfitblog.com
http://fitfluential.com
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Fitness Is What?
What is fitness to you? I think when people think “fitness”, they think “exercise”. They think of running, lifting and sweating. They think of Fitness Magazine, with fit bodies and flat abs – but I think most people go down a LONG list of other things and activities before they get to diet, water and sleep.
Fitness isn’t an exercise. It’s a lifestyle. Fitness is truly a way of life, it’s not just what you do in the gym. This includes how you eat, how you sleep and how you move throughout the day. ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) describes fitness as a 5-part package. In order to be fit, you should be able to check off all 5 elements of fitness:
- Cardiovascular Respiratory Fitness
- Muscular Strength
- Muscular Endurance
- Good Flexibility
- A Healthy Body Composition
How do you stand up to the ACSM guidelines of being fit? I’m 4 out of 5 (flexibility being my weakness – but I’m working on it!).
I’ve seen a lot of body builders who couldn’t run a 1/4 mile and runners who couldn’t lift a weight. I’ve seen fit looking people have heart attacks because their bench press was more important than their heart’s health (and their love for unhealthy food was untamed). I encourage you to LIVE fit to BE fit.
As you work hard to get fit and stay fit, you purposefully do things to improve these 5 elements of fitness. This means you stop looking for the easy way to do things and look for ways to fit more healthy activity and fuel in your day. You go to bed earlier, you stay more active, you stretch, you drink a lot of water, you eat healthy, you manage your weight and you challenge your body’s strength, stamina and muscular endurance. You don’t just exercise – you LIVE IT!
Read my article on Answers.com about the 5 elements of fitness and how to make sure your fitness program covers them all.
Take FitFluential’s Wall Sit Challenge, sponsored by Reebok! CLICK HERE for details and follow the hashtag: #FFWallSit 
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Fitness Motivation: The Secret to a Total Transformation
“Why her? Why does she look so good? Why does it seem so easy for her? We do the same workout and she drops fat like it’s nothing. I workout harder. I’m stronger. I’m faster. I’m better. Maybe it’s her genetics. Maybe she has a faster metabolism. Maybe it’s her supplements. Do you think she is doing steroids? Do you think she has “help”? Maybe the doctor is giving her something to help her get faster results. Maybe I need to see my doctor. Maybe my body just doesn’t work like hers. Maybe it’s my thyroid. Maybe I’ll never be able to look like that.”
This is one downward spiral fueled by an unrealistic negative mindset that is focused on blaming on ANYone else but yourself. We can’t judge a person by what they do in the gym. It’s an hour a day. Have you ever thought that it could be what she is doing the other 23 hours a day that’s getting her the results you want?
I see this in boot camp all the time. People do the same exact workout. They get the same information, yet one person loses 30lbs and gets shredded while their BFF leaves the same weight as they started. Did the BFF lose fat and gain muscle? Probably. But did they radically change like their friend? No. Why? It wasn’t what they did in the gym. It was what they weren’t doing when they left.
Think of it this way. We all know going to church won’t get you to heaven. There have been plenty of criminals who have gone to church. They might have even served as a deacon. They could have had the best intentions. They might have gone down to the front, or raised their hand, to say they wanted to change. They might have cried buckets of tears in complete misery with how they were living life, begging God to help them to change. They could have attended every service, gone to every Bible Study, and did everything other church members did, but their life would NEVER change if they didn’t change the way they lived OUTSIDE the church. That would require surrender. It requires discipline. It requires perseverance. It requires a lifestyle change.
Transformation requires DOING not just HEARING. We teach our fitness competitors the SAME stuff we teach our boot campers and clients. Some reach their fullest potential and some never even scratch the surface. Why? Like with church, the “message” is the same. My pastor is giving the same message to 4 different services, and hundreds of people. Each time his words penetrate our hearts and we take it home and practice it (practice also means we try and fail, and we keep trying anyway).
Our life is not the same as it was the first time we showed up. Our lives are being transformed – and we are not alone. I’ve seen radical life changes – HUGE transformations. So why isn’t EVERYONE that goes to our church having these same awesome experiences as we are? Because the keep going right back to the same way they are living, without applying what they are hearing. They expect to magically be transformed by the one-hour spiritual workout a week – and they fail.
I’ve gone to church all my life. I failed in life when I quit applying what I’ve learned at HOME. It’s not what I do at church or the gym that transforms my life. My workouts are almost the exact same now as they were when I was 20lbs heavier. What changed is what I was putting in to my body on a daily basis. It’s the consistency of eating clean and denying the flesh what it craves (chips and salsa, cookies, overeating, snacking, etc). If I eat junk, I’ll look like junk. If I eat too much, I’m going to weigh too much. If I eat clean, I will look lean. If I eat healthy, I will feel healthy. What I put in my body (and soul) absolutely has a radical affect on my life.
If you want to transform your life – whether physically or spiritually, you have to quit feeding your flesh (quit literally feeding your body the things it wants opposed to the things it needs – both physically and spiritually). You need to do more than rely on a Sunday message or a motivational mantra. It takes more than “good works” or a good workout. It takes a life change – 24 hours a day. Will you fail? Heck yeah – and you will STILL be SO much better off trying.
No more complacency.
No more pointing the finger.
No more excuses.
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Fat Blasting, Body Sculpting Bodyweight Workout
This workout requires NO weights. The only thing you would need is a pull-up bar (or some bands for pull downs if you can’t do pull ups). Do the following 3 circuits with no rest between exercises. Complete 3 rounds each with no rest before moving to the next circuit. Only rest for a brief rest between circuits for optimal calorie and fat burn.
Like the workout? Be sure to Share, Pin, Instagram and all that jazz! ENJOY!
LOWER BODY
10 Jump Squats
2 Burpees
10 Mary Catherines
2 Burpees
10 Squats
2 Burpees
X 3 ROUNDS
UPPER BODY
10 Push ups
2 4-Count Mountain Climbers (Count: ONE,2, 3, 4, TWO, 2, 3 4)
10 Tricep Dips
2 4-Count Mountain Climbers
10 Pull Ups or Pull Downs
2 4-Count Mountain Climbers
X 3 ROUNDS
CORE
10 Squat thrusts
2 Alternating t-plank (ONE Left, ONE Right, TWO Left, TWO Right)
10 Surfers
2 Alternating t-plank
10 Hop Overs
2 Alternating t-plank
X 3 ROUNDS
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Full-Body Scardio Workout
Strength + Cardio = Scardio!
Why do your cardio and strength separately, when you can do them together and burn MORE calories and get FASTER results?! Full body conditioning workouts not only sculpt your body, burn fat and tone muscle but they get you in the best shape – AND they save time!
There are 2 ways to do this workout. For more cardio, do both the upper body and lower body back-to-back and then repeat the both circuits 3 times. For more strength, do each circuit separately, doing upper body for 3 rounds, then doing lower body for 3 rounds (how it’s written below). Either one will burn a ton of calories and tone! Try them both and tell me which one you prefer!
TIP: Click on the links to see video instruction.
SET YOUR TIMER: 60 seconds cardio, 30 seconds strength
I use the Gymboss Interval Timer, which lets you set up various training intervals!
60s JUMP ROPE
30s PULL UPS or PULL DOWNS
30s SHOULDER PRESS
30s BICEP CURLS
30s PUSH UPS
X 3 (no rest until all 3 rounds are done)
60s MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
30s FORWARD LUNGE LEFT (with or without weight)
30s FORWARD LUNGE RIGHT (with or without weight)
30s HAMSTRING CURL (bands, machine or ball)
30s SQUATS (with or without weight)
X 3 (no rest until all 3 rounds are done)
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30-Minute Full Body Workout
Tools Needed:
Dumbbells or Barbell
Kettlebell or Dumbbell
Resistant Band (I use Bodylastics)
Directions:
This workout has 4 couplets. Do each exercise for 40 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds. I use the GymBoss Interval Timer for my workouts. Do each couplet 3 times through before moving to the next couplet. You can rest 60 seconds between couplets. If you stick to the interval times, you can do the whole workout under 30 minutes.
Click on the exercise to see video instruction. Remember! No REST besides what your interval times gives you and the 60 second break between couplets! Get ready to SWEAT!
Jump Rope
Assisted Pull Up (or pull downs)
Diagonal Knee to Elbow
Bicycle Crunch
Kettlebell Swing
Step-back dumbbell lunge
This workout is part of LiveXFit show, Episode 21, on liveexercise.com, available on Roku and Samsung TV.
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How to Kill a Bad Habit
Joyce Meyer said, “Every time you feed the flesh, you strengthen it. This is good if you are trying to build a good habit, but detrimental if you are trying to stop a bad habit. The way to “kill the flesh” is to starve it; to stop feeding it.”
What a simple concept: Starve what you want to die, feed what you want to live. In the context Joyce was talking about, she was addressing feeding our physical desires, not necessarily just our stomach. Our body has physical desires. It lusts, it hungers, it wants to sleep, it wants to be lazy. Sometimes it wants to get angry, it wants to cuss, it wants to be get its way and if we LET it get its way, without practicing self control, the flesh will kill you.
So how do we subdue the flesh and grow the things we want to grow in our life? The same way we kill something or grow anything – it depends on how we feed it.
Trust me, if you don’t feed a plant it will die. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the plants on my back porch. However, the plants in my yard are thriving. Why? Because my lawn people take really good care of those plants. They feed it fertilizer, they get rid of weeds that may choke out any life, and they give it regular attention.
Our fitness is the same way. It requires attention. The more we feed it, the more it will grow. This means we need to attend to it regular. It also means we need to pull anything out of our life that might choke out our progress. And, it means we need to starve our bad habits (poor eating habits, laziness, business, etc) that will make it more difficult to succeed.
You are in control of your flesh. You decide what lives and what dies.
You are what you think:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, (this means you decide what you want your mind should be on, think on those things, meditate on them, focus on them, fix it and keep it there. However, we can think on better things, healthier things, greater things…) “but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5
What have you been allowing yourself to set your mind on that doesn’t belong? Decide now to not meditate on those things and replace those thoughts on the things you want to grow in your life.
