Blog Archives
Best Armband for the iPhone 5
The PureMove Armband is the best armband I’ve found made for the iPhone 5S/5. I got the opportunity to try it out this weekend on our group run with some of our bikini boot campers and members. Here’s why I was so excited about this armband!
One of my pet peeves is not being able to access my phone easily while running or working out at the gym. First, you have that stupid thick plastic barrier that not only holds your phone but it makes it extremely difficult to actually use the phone. Second, if you want to get the phone out of the case, it’s a challenge to get it out – especially if you are in a hurry. Lastly, once you get it OUT of the case, it’s a total pain to put it back IN the case without taking the whole armband off your arm.
With the PureMove Armband, I can easily navigate the touch screen – SOOO NICE! I was able to easily start and pause my RunKeeper app when I needed too (which was always a hassle). Not only was I able to navigate the touch screen better without the plastic barrier, but I didn’t have that annoying glare the additional plastic layer always gave my phone. The same tasks that took a minute or two to complete, now took me only 5-10 seconds. Less time struggling means more time sweating!!
Since I’m a picture-taking fool, I also enjoyed the ease of popping my phone right out of the case to take a quick snap shot of fun things along the way. Whether I want to take a pic of the sunset, scenery, funny sites or a pictures of gym members and friends, I don’t want anything to slow down my run. The PureMove Armband allowed me that freedom.
Have you seen Yes Man? That is SO me! hahaha 
I never go anywhere without a camera – and of course the iPhone is my camera when I’m on runs and I just love knowing I can capture the moment, even on my run!
Here are some of the photos I’ve taken on some of my runs. Burning calories is great, but making memories makes it even better! And now it’s even easier to do with the PureMove Armband.
Reebok Z-Rated Shoes & Workout
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Reebok.
Sometimes it’s not enough to just be fast. You need to be able to move quick. If your daily run is never running in a straight line, this shoe is your kind of shoe. Check it out!
Reebok just came out with a really cool high-traction running shoe that’s made to move quick. If you like the natural feel of a super light shoe that gives you just enough cushion without losing the feel of the road, this shoe is for you! What I love most about this shoe (besides how light it is) is definitely the traction. Traction is out of control. The outer sole is designed for maximum ground contact so your foot really grabs the ground for quick switches, turns, jumps and stops. Not only is this great for running (especially when your route includes navigating around traffic, puddles, people, dogs and uneven sidewalks) I’m super excited about using these shoes on my functional training days. These shoes are going to crush sprints, box jumps, heismans, Shuffle Touches, and other exercises that require more traction.
Inspired by hi-performance, Z-Rated tires, the Reebok Z Run running shoe are like sports car tires on your feet. The Z-Rated technology delivers control, traction and speed – just like my Corvette!
Here are the things I like most about the shoe:
- Super Light
- Smooth No-Sew upper
- Low-cut for mobility
- Roomy toe box
- Awesome tread for killer control, traction and speed
- Super flexible midsole
Here’s a cool video on the technology of the shoe:
“These shoes will make you UNNATURALLY QUICK!” So set your timer and get ready to crush this workout!! Click on the workout name to see video demonstration of each exercise.
Today’s Z-Rated Workout:
Set your timer!!!
1/4 mile sprint
SSS - Cardio, Conditioning, Lower Body
- 20 Skaters
- 20 Butt-Kicks
- 20 Squat Front Kicks (alternating legs)
- 20 Butt-Kicks
- 20 Shuffle Touches (quick switch)
- 20 Butt-Kicks
Complete 3 rounds
1/4 mile sprint
Dead Legs - Legs, Glutes, Hamstrings
- 20 Prisoner Squats
- 20 Mary Catherines
- 20 X-Squats
- 20 Crisscross Squats
- 20 Bridges
- 1-Minute Wall Sits
Complete 3 rounds
1/4 mile sprint and record your time.
How long did it take you to get through it?
Can You Go the Distance?
Wikipedia explains the Second Wind as “a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons or road running (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is too out of breath and tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion. The feeling may be similar to that of a “runner’s high“, the most obvious difference being that the runner’s high occurs after the race is over. Some scientists believe the second wind to be a result of the body finding the proper balance of oxygen to counteract the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. Others claim second winds are due to endorphin production, while still others believe it to be purely psychological.”
It really doesn’t matter where our second wind comes from, what matters is knowing it will come. Whether we are talking about fitness or life, sadly, many people never get to experience the second wind because they give up too soon. No one ever said weight loss would be easy. No one says that life is easy, so why are we so surprised when things get tough? If we plan to run a marathon, we know it’s going to be a long grueling haul. Weight loss is a marathon of sorts. So is marriage, our career, raising kids, and maintaining friendships. They all require a certain intense level of commitment – a commitment to the finish.
If you plan to do a race, you plan to finish. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, the goal is to cross the finish line. Sadly, many people give up on their goals, hopes and dreams as soon as things get tough. I want to encourage you today, you WILL get a second wind – but you don’t get a second wind before the pain sets in. You don’t get a second wind before you run out of breath, or before your body shuts down. No! You get a second wind AFTER you begin to feel defeated. AFTER you’ve been on a plateau for too long. AFTER you’ve cried and started to doubt if you could “do this”. AFTER your mind starts turning on you. The second wind DOES come, but it doesn’t come when things are going smooth. It comes right when you need it the most …in the very last possible hour.
Test Yourself. Don’t miss your second wind because you choose not run long enough in your first one. Train hard. The more you reach the point of needing a second wind, the less doubt you will have that the second wind will come because you’ve experienced it before. However, if you quit every time something gets hard, you won’t have the past experiences to encourage you in your next race.
Never Give Up.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Are You On the Right Track?
In fitness, you don’t just want to stay on track, you want to keep moving ahead! Sadly, there are a lot of people that get on track, make a little progress, and then just stop, for no apparent reason, before they ever reach their goal.
That’s like showing up for a race, running half of it and then just sitting down on the side of the road. Who does that? Well, pretty much everyone at some point in time on their fitness journey. No one in their right mind would do that in a marathon, unless they were injured. But, when it comes to working out, dieting, etc., people do it all the time.
The difference in those last 10-20lbs of fat is just where the person stops on the course. Many times a person thinks “I did great, I lost XWZ pounds and I feel so much better” and they basically go sit down at the 20 mile mark. BUT, if they just kept on going, and wasn’t just satisfied was feeling “better”, they could do amazing and become their BEST. Better is always good, but why stop short from experiencing your best?
Have you become comfortable where you are right now with your routine, weight or diet? Or are you ready to see this thing all the way through and finish this things like a champ?! The same work that you did to get where you are now will keep working to get you where you want to be – as long as you don’t slow down or quit. So, get back on track and get back to moving forward! #livewithfire
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Even the Slowest & Weakest Can Still Finish: 4 Steps to Success
I think we’d be in a much better place if we didn’t focus on where we were but, instead, focused on where were are going. We tend to obsess over what we are NOT, and forget who we ARE, and who we are BECOMING.
I’m not a fast runner, but I run. I am not super strong, but I lift. I am getting faster, and I am getting stronger. Unfortunately, most of us are very impatient. We want to get the the “finish lines” of life in one big step, but that is unrealistic. We rarely get anywhere in life in one step. Everything great takes time. But, what separates the success stories from the failures is not really how strong or fast someone is, but whether they persevere.
Although I am not suggesting you become complacent and not care about your overall performance, what I am suggesting is that you don’t focus so much on your performance that you forget your accomplishments. Each run you complete, each day you show up to the gym, every calorie you count, and every ounce you lose is an accomplishment.
Whatever you are working toward, You Can Finish This!
Think of where you were once, at your worst. Now think of where you are now. Lastly, think about where you are headed if you continue to press on toward your goals. THAT’s who you are – who you are, is who you are becoming.
Your Finish Line
Here are 4 steps to reaching your finish line.
1. Choose Your Race: Someone who has never run before rarely signs up for a marathon. Most people don’t just “show up” without a little planning. With fitness, “choosing your race” means choosing your goal. This can also mean choosing a gym, a class, a diet or trainer. Before you even take your first step, you have to make some important choices first.
2. Map Your Route: Before a runner starts, they have to know where to go – and so do you. Make sure you know the route to your finish line very well so you can stay on course. Choose some friends to “run with”. Having a workout partner, trainer or a group of people at work working on the same goals can help you from straying or losing focus.
3. Check Points: Create a few small goals and a few moderate goals to help encourage you, as well as make sure you stay on track. Check points can be small weight loss goals, performance based goals, or health improvements like improved resting heart rate or cholesterol levels.
4. Finish Line: Make sure you have main goal, or set of goals, and post them where you can see them every day. Can you imagine running a race with no visible finish line? Make sure your “black and white checkered flag” can be easily seen every moment along your journey. Out of site, means out of mind.
Is Your Walking is Working?
There’s a big difference between exercise and activity. While walking to increase activity is healthy, it is not as beneficial to your health as exercise.
Activity simply refers to movement, like cleaning the house, walking the dog or throwing the Frisbee. Exercise is purposeful and planned activity designed to obtain health benefits. Exercise includes power-walking, running, aerobics and weight training.
Though you may run while playing Frisbee, or lift heavy objects while working in the yard, the difference between the two activities is the level of intensity. A short burst of running to catch a Frisbee is light effort compared to running at the same pace for three miles straight.
Unfortunately, many people spend a lot of time walking, and very little time exercising. If you want to make sure your walks are exercise, here are 5 Tips to make your workouts more powerful from my latest article, “Do Your Power Walks Lack Power“ at Answers.com
Bonnie Pfiester is the Exercise Expert for Answers.com
CLICK HERE for the whole article
The Long Mile Cardio and Conditioning Workout
Bored of running? Well here’s a workout that incorporates running and full-body conditioning all in one killer fat-burning calorie-scorching workout!
1/4 Mile Sprint
10 Tuck Jumps
10 Thrusters
10 Box Jumps
10 Push Ups
10 Wall Ups
4 ROUNDS FOR TIME
If you try this workout – post your time below! I’d LOVE to see how you do! …and you can come back and do it again and see if you can beat your old time!
Here’s the matching graphic if you want to share what you did!
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Compete to Train or Train to Compete?
Train to Compete
Everyone knows someone who is training, or has trained, for something – whether it’s a 5K, half marathon, tri, bikini competition, bodybuilding show, crossfit games, power lifting meet or tournament – competing gives you purpose to train like you’ve never trained before.
I believe people who run marathons or do bodybuilding shows are often misunderstood. Some people may think they are just super competitive. Others may just think they are super vain. Ironically, most people who compete are just super normal. They are lazy, they struggle with their training and diet UNLESS they have something to train for. Often times, they HAVE to compete so they HAVE to train.
Another words, most people who compete don’t compete to win, they compete to train like a winner. It’s not about taking home a trophy or having the fastest time in their age group. Winning is showing up and doing their best. They compete because it pushes them further than they’d push themselves on their own. Setting a date to run a marathon without completely dying, or get in a teeny-weeny bikini in front of hundreds of people without shaming themselves motivates them to keep showing up – whether they feel like it or not. It’s added accountability.
Compete to Train
We just had a team of 11 compete this weekend in the Treasure Coast Classic bodybuilding, figure, physique and bikini show. Not one of our competitors competed because they think they will go pro or be the next Ronnie Coleman or Monica Brandt. They all competed to see how hard they could push their bodies, to give them a reason to train hard, and a reason to stick with it. They competed to force themselves out of their comfort zone and train and diet like they’ve never trained and dieted before.
You see, some people think that competitors are the most motivated people in the industry. I’d have to disagree. Sure, while there are people like Steve who are insanely motivated and disciplined (when they are actually training and dieting for a show). However, they are often times the people who lack the most discipline when they aren’t in training.
Competing keeps you in check. It holds up the STOP sign when you really want to go back for seconds …and thirds. It pushes you to go to the gym, when you really just want to skip. It keeps you sticking with your program beyond when you typically would quit or slack. It gives you purpose.
All competitors are not alike. Of course there are people who just love to train, but most people do it because they need to accountability and support. Some LOVE the stage, and some train to place first – but, for most, they love the results.
Compete for Results
Karrie is a great example of someone who chose to compete to take her training up a notch. She had already lost a good bit of weight, but she was ready to train harder, diet harder and get even better results. Competing was exactly what she needed to blow her goals out of the water. So proud of you Karrie!!
Here is a group pic of our competitors, which competed in various divisions and were all ages – from their twenties to their sixties. Click Here to learn more about Team Max.
Today’s mantra:
Do You Need More Hydration?
Oral I.V. Product Review & Hydration Tips
If you live in Florida, like me, you know how insanely hot and humid it’s been lately – and running in the heat is tough on the body. (This is a pic of me & my BFF at the top of one of the bridges we run on our big group run from our gym, everyone in our town calls “The Loop”.) After our 6-mile run last Saturday, I literally looked like I jumped in a pool with my clothes on when I was done. I could tell I needed some serious hydration – QUICK!
What?
Luckily, I was given some ORAL I.V. to try out. What’s ORAL I.V. ? (What’s what I said!) Well, it’s a liquid hydration aid. After I drilled the company with questions so I could understand their product better, basically what I learned was it was a solution of electrolytes, minerals and purified water that is absorbed more rapidly than typical hydration drinks. That’s why they call it “I.V.” because of it’s rapid delivery system.
It is tasteless (just tastes like water) and is used WITH water or other hydration beverages to help you get the most goody out of it. ORAL I.V. assists an individual’s existing hydration strategy and helping sustain peak performance. It doesn’t replace hydration, it supports it and improves it. (This is a pic of me pouring a vile into my water after my run)
How?
So, when do you take it? You take one vial of ORAL I.V. with water for every 4 to 6 hours of strenuous activity. So, it’s great for before, during and/or after an intense workout or race like my buddy Jeff did (pictured here). He really felt it help him rock his Tri sprint in this summer heat – coming in 3rd in his age group and 12th overall!
Charles Hobbs, triathlete, also agreed it has helped him. He tried it for 3 months and said “it has increased my performance and reduced fatigue that normally sets in from hot weather training and racing.”
Why?
Hydration is one of those mysterious things you can’t really say you “feel”, but what I notice is what I DON’T feel when I take it. For instance, on the day I took it after my run (This was our happy faces that the run was over), we also went to the beach for the day – so I was basically sweating all day. Normally, I would have been exhausted, sluggish, dizzy or even had a headache on a day like that. Instead, I had tons of energy, felt great and played hard all day long.
Who?
Who takes it? Well, it was first made available to those who could truly put it to the test – members of the U.S. military and law enforcement communities, but now is used by many different people including MMA fighters (like Phil Baroni), professional football players (like Loni Paxton), Navy Seals, professional singers (like Wilson Phillips), swimmers, motorcross athletes, triathletes, marathon runners, CrossFit athletes, and ordinary people like me!
Here are what some CrossFit athletes say about their experience taking ORAL I.V.
7 Summer Hydration Tips
- Drink plenty of water BEFORE, during and after exercise.
- Check the color of your urine. It should be clear to pale yellow, not dark yellow or have a strong odor.
- Drink beverages with electrolytes in them when working in extreme heat.
- Avoid alcohol the day before a hard training session or doing hard labor (especially if you are going to be outside in the heat.
- Consume plenty of fruits and vegetables to help hydration (fruits, like watermelon, are very high in water).
- Weigh yourself before and after exercise to monitor water loss.
- Drink at least 3 cups (24 ounces) of fluid per pound of water lost.
Learn more interesting health tidbits from LiveScience.com.
What Counts as Water? I also found these great tips from WebMD on what food and drink sources actually really hydrate you.
Visit ORAL I.V. to learn more about their hydration aid!
No More Boring Treadmill Workouts!
Move your clothes! Dust off the controls! It’s time to actually USE your treadmill – and use it like you’ve never used it before!
It seems like it was yesterday that I did this insane workout in our living room, as a guinea pig for Steve’s upcoming treadmill workout video called BCx Treadz. Let me tell you what! My legs were on FIRE, my heart was about to POP OUT of my chest and I SWEAT enough to fill a bucket! This workout was no joke. Go ahead, watch me DIE and BEG for mercy!! lol
After doing that workout, I realize how lame my boring cardio had been – and I realized how EXCITED people would be to REVIVE their dusty old treadmill that acts more like a coat rack than a piece of fitness equipment.
BCx Treadz workout series was released for online downloads today! The video series includes 4 different 20-minute workouts: Cardio, Conditioning, Upper Body & Lower Body. Each video comes in standard definition, or high definition, as well as is offered with or without music in case you want to listen to Steve’s prompts while listening to YOUR tunes instead of ours! Also, you can download 3 copies so you can have a copy on each of your devices – from your computer to your tablet or smartphone.
Steve Explains the Workout
Think You’ll Fall Off?
Don’t worry! The treadmill is only going .5-1.5 mph during the untraditional exercises – and you can even do some of the moves off the treadmill altogether if you want! Believe me, I’m one of the MOST UNCOORDINATED people I know! If I can do it, ANYONE can! Seriously! And we tested it out on our own clients, all ranging in different shapes, sizes and ages. The results: They all got the greatest workout they’d ever experienced on a treadmill!
CLICK HERE to download your copy of BCx Treadz Workouts! Workouts start at only $9.99 each and can be used with your regular treadmill training or on their own. Get all 4 workouts or just pick out what you need to most!
Use #BCxTreadz hashtag if your treadmill workout on social media! I’ll be sharing YOUR pics and progress over the next few weeks!
SHARE this blog if you think it will help some of your friends who have a lonely treadmill at home needing use.
