The best weight loss plan there is!

What did I learn over the past 2 weeks? Well, as it turns out, paying somebody to tear out your wisdom teeth is a decision you should not take lightly.

In what cannot be a gentle procedure, your dentist removes your, previously pain-free, teeth leaving you with holes filled with pain and regret. Aside from the lack of ability to open your mouth, the dull ache in your face, the interesting meds and the anger-invoking inability to consume any real foods, you also get the relaxing feeling that several of your teeth are simultaneously experiencing ice cream headaches. The crazy thing is that the best part of the day is the time you spend with a frozen bag of peas stuck to your face. On the plus side, if there is one, it is virtually impossible not to drop a couple pounds after getting your teeth out. Guaranteed weight loss!!

I quickly learned that the window for weight loss was very brief. The first 2-3 days, you really have no  desire to eat and if you do it's apple sauce and pureed soups. As a result you will drop a little weight. Days 4-5 come along and you find yourself starting to get a little annoyed that the pain is still lingering and more than a little angered because all you really want to do is chew something. This frustration resulted in trading the apple sauce for pudding and the pureed soups for tubs of cottage cheese. No guaranteed weight loss anymore. As you close in on a week, you are ready to snap and realize that chocolate Easter treats melt wonderfully in your mouth and require little effort, while providing so much pleasure. Now we are in weight gain. Moral of the story is that all drastic weight loss plans ultimately result in leaving you right back where you started. All that pain for nothing.


As I wasn't really overly interested in doing much the past week, I did spend some time thinking about the blog and I am excited to say that we are changing things up. We are hoping that the new design will allow us to get more frequent blogs out, which will get workouts and information out to you guys more frequently, helping us all get and stay healthier.

One of the first things we are going to introduce is what we are calling...

 The Chalkboard Challenge

The Chalkboard Challenge will show up on a regular basis. Not every day, not even every other day, but regularly. They will generally be shorter in length and higher in intensity. The idea is to create some good old fashioned healthy competition. Not to mention provide some tough workouts. 

Chalkboard Challenge #1: If you don't have a skipping rope, do jumping jacks. The total time for this challenge is 16 min.

The goal is 1000 reps in 16 minutes. I was just short!

the sequence

2 minutes of skipping : get over the rope as many times as you can.

1 minute of rest

30 seconds of squats : as many as you can

30 seconds of mountain climbers : as many as you can

30 seconds of rest

45 seconds squats : as many as you can

45 seconds of mountain climbers : as many as you can

45 seconds of rest

60 seconds of squats : as many as you can

60 seconds of mountain climbers : as many as you can

60 seconds of rest

45 seconds squats : as many as you can

45 seconds of mountain climbers : as many as you can

45 seconds of rest

30 seconds of squats : as many as you can

30 seconds of mountain climbers : as many as you can

1 minute of rest

2 minutes of skipping : get over the rope as many times as you can.


Here is the sheet I use to track my results for this workout.

Click here for the Mini Pyramid Results Tracking Sheet

*** Be sure to track your numbers and see if you can beat mine. ***

In case you need a little reminder, here is the video for the mini pyramid.

The second new introduction is a little something we are calling...

Know Sweat 

Know Sweat is the section where we discuss the plethora of, mostly misunderstood, fitness and health related facts and fallacies. I don't think there is an industry that can match ours with its frequency of new fads and crazy ideas. Some have lasting power but most should never be given a second thought. We intend to help you know the difference.

Fact : The brain is unable to differentiate between hunger and thirst. Assuming that you are eating on a regular basis, a great way to help maintain a healthy body weight is to always assume that your body is thirsty and not hungry. Try drinking water the next time you think you are hungry. If the perceived desire for food is eliminated, you have just saved many an unnecessary calorie. Of course sometimes you are hungry. If so, then you eat!

The third new component to the blog is what we call...

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat is the section dedicated to food. Helpful food facts and amazingly easy recipes that are both delicious and healthy. With little ones around, you simply don't have time to cook yet you still want to eat healthy foods. Our goal here is to provide you with helpful solutions. 


Food facts - The Banana:

There are over 500 types of bananas.
One medium-sized, 7-8 inch banana has just 105 calories.
Bananas contain significant amounts of vitamins C(3X more than apples) and B6(great for skin and hair). They are also rich in carotenoids and can increase vitamin A levels in those with deficiencies.
The average banana contains 3 grams of fibre.
A banana contains about 12% of the daily recommended dose of potassium for adults. Potassium helps maintain proper functioning cells, tissues and organs and helps to lower blood pressure.
As with all types of fruits and vegetables, bananas contain antioxidants.
Bananas are NOT fattening!
They are also the perfect pre-workout fuel source.


If you want to know more about this super food, check out the following link.

Click here for more banana fun facts!

Last, but not least, I bet you didn't know that we open bananas up the wrong way! Check out this quick clip to see how the pros (monkeys) do it.

I hope you enjoy the new spin we are giving to the blog. 


Chad

Fitness is in the Cards - The Sudorific Workout

~written by Chad


A crazy thing happened to me yesterday. For the first time in months I found myself at home...alone...for about 4 hours. I think I felt just like this guy.

I can't imagine what he is reacting to

For anyone with kids, you know how rare this  type of event is. Although it sounds like nothing, it is everything! I love my wife and girls more than I can explain, but I also love some good old fashioned alone time. For me it was my first chance, in a long time, to spend more than 20 minutes in the gym. As a result I have a new and amazing workout for you.

I call this workout the Sudorific Cards. 'sudo' for short. "What does that mean?", you ask. Great question! Sudorific means "causing sweat". And trust me, this workout does! I weighed in before and after (don't ask) and I lost 1.1lbs in less than an hour. That's a lot of sweat! Many a glass of water later and I was rehydrated, but the effects of the workout continued for hours, burning more calories than I would have otherwise. The true test of a workout's calorie burn should be measured for 24 hours, not just the duration of the workout. A single workout can be responsible for some serious calorie loss. Boosting your metabolism is one of the most important ways to maximize your weight loss.

Wrong!

Right! Not mine!!

I digress...

For this workout, all you need is good old fashioned deck of cards. As long as there is a full 54 cards, including Jokers, you are okay.

My deck came from Walmart and cost me $0.93. I turned it into this ingenious system, because I like to do it outside and the wind can ruin the workout if you aren't careful.

For this workout, each of the cards represents an exercise and a quantity of repetitions. For the numbered cards 2-10 you will do the same number of reps that is on the card. 4 of diamonds equals 4 repetitions. For the cards 2-10, each of the 4 suits has it's own exercises. There is a specific exercise and number of repetitions for the Jacks, one for the Queens, and the same for the Kings, Aces and Jokers. In total there are 9 different exercises.

The full exercise breakdown is shown in the video. Mind the quality, not much of a techie but I'm working on it.

If you prefer, here is the exercise list.

Diamonds (2-10) : back lunge hops 

Hearts (2-10) : supine leg kicks

Clubs (2-10) : squat thrusts & push-ups

Spades (2-10) : squat jumps & narrow push-ups

Jacks : alternate leg drops

Queens : plank leg raises

Kings : high knees

Aces : mountain climbers

Jokers : burpees

Your goal is simple, get through the cards as quickly as you can.

The beauty of this workout is that with a quick shuffle of the cards you have a new workout. The exercises stay the same, which allows you to improve on them, but the order will always be different so you will never know what is coming next. Too exciting I know.

It took me 43:45 to finish and I felt like dying for a very good portion of that. I didn't die and I honestly feel awesome today. Ready for more!!! You will too, trust me.

Have fun with this one and please let me know your times. I know some of you can beat me for sure!

Chad

Run Faster, Farther and Injury-Free! Part Two.

~written by Chad


I hope that Part One of this series, at the very least, got you thinking about the importance of incorporating adequate recovery time into your running program. I'm not saying that the picture below is going to happen to you, but being better rested is guaranteed to lessen your chances.

OUCH! -understatement of the year!

Seriously though, overtraining is far too frequent amongst runners and a major cause of their injuries. Having a well rested body will, not only, reduce the chances of injuries, but will also allow us to put a little more into our training days and as a result,  get a little more out.

In order to maximize those training days, we need to ensure a proper warm-up occurs prior to all training sessions, whether it's a run or any other workout.

People always ask me, "What stretch should I do before I run?". To many an odd stare, I only ever answer, "None". Stretching is generally misunderstood and potentially dangerous. For those of you who know me, you know I am not a fan of stretching. I am not going to get into that right now, let's just say that I prefer to think of it as range of motion acquisition, as opposed to stretching. You have to earn the range of motion the joints and muscles give you. You cannot force it. I believe that flexibility is in direct relation to stability. Think about when you go outside in the winter and unexpectedly step on a patch of ice. Your body instinctively tenses up every muscle. It senses the instability and contracts the muscles to protect the joints in case of a fall. We all have joint instability, just some more than others. If you can eliminate the instability in your joints, you will discover that your flexibility will increase as a result. Again, more on the issues regarding stretching in another post. Back to the warm-up.

When we set up a warm-up, we have to evaluate what we are looking to gain from the warm-up. If we are going on a run, we need to cover a few things. We need to get the ankles, knees and hips ready and we need to wake up the core and postural muscles. The following video will show you how to do just that. It will only take you 5-7 minutes and I think you'll notice a difference in your runs immediately.

Okay, you are all warmed up and ready for the run. If you do try this warm-up before your run and find that it made for a better workout, please leave a quick comment.

Enjoy your run.

Chad

What Will Power? Cream Egg Combat

~Written by Chad

What a great time of year! The winter is almost behind us, we have the full spring and summer to look forward to, the days are getting longer and Cadbury releases a 'new' batch of Cream Eggs. I say new, because there are plenty of stores still trying to get rid of last year's selection. You've bitten into the ones from last season, with the almost solid middle. Brutal! But a fresh one...that's my weakness.

Am I the only person who can't walk past the Cream Egg and Mini Egg display without giving in? I don't know what it is about those perfect little chocolate eggs, but I simply cannot say 'No'. Oh well. If you should ever give in to temptation, and I suggest you do from time to time, know that the earlier in the day you do, the less chance of any of those calories finding their way to your hips, or butt or where ever they like to go. If you give in late in the day, chances are very good that they will stay with you.

In order to help balance out the added calories that always seem to show up around Easter, I have put together a longer and tougher workout for us all. This workout combines bodyweight exercises with stability ball exercises, adding some extra core strengthening into the mix. I call it the Countdown. 550 fun-filled reps completed as quickly as you can. Your goal should be under 25 minutes.

Here's how it works. Complete the following, in order, and don't move on to the next exercise until ALL the necessary reps have been completed. There are 10 exercises.

100 mountain climbers (50 each leg)

90 military plank - stability ball (45 each leg)

80 squat hops

70 hamstring rollins/curls - stability ball (35 of each, alternating 1 at a time)

60 side plank rollovers (30 each side)

50 jackknife/jackknife pikes - stability ball (25 of each, alternating 1 at a time)

40 lunge jumps

30 rollouts - stability ball

20 fullnburpees (with push-up)

10 superman bows - stability ball

Enjoy this workout! Chad

I got 28:20 for my first time.

Home Gym Equipment -SIMPLIFIED!

~Written by Chad and Kate

Balls, bands, chin up bars, Equilizers, ropes, balancing boards etc, etc, etc...

The list for home gym equipment can be very extensive and very confusing, but it doesn't have to be. In this blog we are going to fill you in on our top 8 pieces of home gym equipment. And over the next few weeks we will be showing you different exercises and workouts using the equipment we feature.  Sound good?  Okay, let's begin.

Our Top 8 
1. Stability Ball
2. Resistance Bands
3. Lebert Equalizer
4. Medicine Balls
5. Skipping rope
6. Gliders
7. Bosu
8. Foam Roller


In a category of it's own, is Chad's favourite piece of equipment: the TRX. This thing is awesome. Anything designed by a Navy Seal would be. If you are already super-fit and looking to really push yourself with some tough workouts, you NEED one of these.  More on this piece of equipment later.


Today, we are going to take a closer look at the stability ball and show you just how awesome this piece of equipment really is.  We say it's awesome and we mean it! Why you ask? Good question...to start with, it's relatively inexpensive.  On top of that, the stability ball is virtually limitless in exercise options. Perhaps the best thing about it, is the level of core training that it brings. Every single exercise you perform on the stability ball requires a significant level of core muscle recruitment.

Stability Ball

Before we get into some stability ball exercises, we want to make sure you're getting the right ball for you.  Stability balls come in various sizes. If you look at the height measurements located on the box when purchasing your stability ball, you will see they suggest that your thighs should be parallel to the floor when sitting on the ball. The problem with this, is that unless you are using the ball as an office chair (which isn't a bad idea) you will rarely be sitting on the ball. We find that a 55cm ball has the best overall use when exercising. Be sure to buy a higher quality ball, the cheap ones are just that - cheap.

Now that you're all set with your ball, let's get into some exercises.  The following video shows 15 ball exercises to get you started.

Exercise Notes


Hamstring Roll-ins: Keep your core tight and arms out to the side for balance. Don't over arch your back. The wider your arms are the more stable you will be. Keep your arms off the floor for an added challenge.

Hamstring Curls: Same as the roll-ins, but be sure to keep your hips up!

Jackknifes:Keep your core super tight! The movement is in the knees and hips, not the back. The greater the distance between your hands and the ball the tougher the exercise will be.

Jackknife Pikes: Same as the jackknifes, except you keep the knees straight. the entire movement comes from the hips and shoulders.

Rollouts: Keep your core super tight and your arms as straight as possible. Toes off the floor with the weight always on your hands. Push your hands down into the ball and drive your shoulder up to return to the starting position. Do not drive your hips back! The entire movement comes from the shoulders.

Military Plank: Keep your core tight. The movement comes from the hips. The greater the distance between the ball and your feet the tougher this will be.

Plank Rollouts: Keep your core tight and reach out as far as you can. This is one of the very best ways to get a super strong core!

Stir-the-Pot: Keep your core tight and make the circles as big as you can. Be sure to do the same number of reps in each direction.

Push-ups:  Keep the core tight. Don't bounce off the ball, touch it under full control.

Inverted Push-ups: Keep your core very tight and get as close to the floor as you can. Always try to look in front of your hands. You are trying to get your chest to the floor, NOT your face!

Inverted Press-ups: Same as the Inverted Push-ups, except this time your face is leading the way. Still try to kep your face in front of your hands, not between them.

Superman: Keep your abs tight. This is not ONLY a lower back exercise! Focus on keeping your glutes and hamstrings tight. Keep your body line straight. Keep the arms straight also and reach as far up and away (I couldn't help it) as you can.

Back Extension: Keep the abs, glutes  and hamstrings all tight. Think of crunching over the ball, not collapsing into it. Try to limit the amount of ball you touch. Further your hands are away from your hips the tougher the exercise is.


Side Crunch:You want your entire upperbody off the ball to start. Don't collapse into the ball, think of crunching over the ball, touching the ball as little and as gently as you can.

Crunches: Don't let your hips drop as you crunch up. This is a small movement, really think about squeezing the abs.

If you've purchased your ball but aren't ready to jump into these exercises yet, then we suggest you have some fun together. Use your ball to sit on while watching your favourite tv show.  During the commercial breaks, see how long you can balance on your ball. At first you may only be able to lift one leg off the ground, but over time you'll be able to sit atop your ball with both feet and hands in the air -FUN! Once you've mastered this, try balancing on the ball in a kneeling position.  It's always best to have a spotter around (or cover the surrounding area in blankets and pillows) just in case you REALLY lose your balance and the ball goes firing out from under you sending you face-first to the floor.  If this happens, don't get discouraged. Get back on the horse (or ball in this case) and try again.

The stability ball is a wonderful workout tool making exercises both fun and challenging.  Your core muscles will thank you!

March Quick Fit Challenge

~Written by Chad

Today is the last day of February. It's hard to believe, but spring is right around the corner and we will all be outside again soon. Time to step up the workouts a little so that we are ready to take full advantage! Speaking of workouts, I hope you all are feeling the benefits from the 2 minute workouts that we did for the February Quick Fit Challenge. I know that the exercises got a little old by the end of the month. Hell, I didn't do any of the quick fits for the last couple days. That's okay! Overall I only missed 4, and I am certain that the consistent exercising helped in my, to date, 9 pounds lost this year. Not to mention I feel considerably stronger than 4 weeks ago.

Outdoor workouts -LOVE THEM!

For me, it's all about finding a healthy lifestyle that I can successfully maintain. The two main factors that I'm working on are quick and intense workouts and eating my junk food at the best possible time, minimizing weight gain. So far so good. I have by no means given up chocolate, and I haven't really spent much time in the gym. An equation I am happy with.

If you enjoyed the February Challenge, you are going to LOVE the March version! New exercises, longer challenges, all-in-all bigger and better than last month.

Here is the link to the March Quick Fit Challenge Calendar.

http://infinitefitness.com/MarchQuickFitChallenge.pdf

I will post the links to the exercise demonstrations on facebook, so be sure to check our page.

These challenges are a little tougher than last month, but the benefits are much greater! We are taking things to a new level here, I hope you are excited!!

The nice thing about the March Challenge is that no day's workout should take longer than 15 minutes to complete and the majority of the challenges involve less than 10 minutes of working out.

Please remember that you DO NOT HAVE to complete EVERY day of the month. Just try to complete as many as you can. You can always add a couple days together to make up for missed ones, or just catch the workout the next time around. Obviously, the more days you complete, the better your results will be.

March 1st starts with 2 minutes of squat hops, as many as possible. A squat hop is a exactly the same as a squat except that you have to leave the ground an inch or two each time you thrust up. After that, take a 1 minute break then complete a 20:10 X 6 push-up challenge. This means that we will do as many push-ups as we can in 20 seconds, then take a 10 second break, then as many more push-ups as possible in 20 seconds and again a 10 second break, repeated a total of 6 times, which totals 2 minutes of push-ups. Count the cumulative push-up total.

Enjoy, and remember that it is always more fun if you are going thru the pain with a friend, so bring someone along on this journey with you.

Chad

10 minutes of %#@& $!# workout

We are almost 8 weeks into 2012. If you have been following along then you are likely feeling both stronger and bored of the workouts. Excellent! Time to switch things up a little.

The goal is still to complete the February Quick Fit Challenge, but I want to show you all a new and quick workout. I hope that you can give it a shot by the end of the weekend.

As it often is, our goal is to complete as many repetitions as possible in a specific time. For this workout, we are looking at 10 minutes.

There are 3 exercises that we are going to cycle thru in our attempt at maximum repetitions.

The exercises are...

1. Burpee Blaster (5 reps)
2. Alternating Lunge Jumps (10 reps)
3. Up and Down Spiderman Planks (10 reps)

Please see the video for the exercise demonstration.

This workout is tough. Add it onto one of your 2 minute challenges and you've got quite a workout.

Both Kate and I did this workout the other day. She was able to complete four full cycles plus a fifth cycle of the burpees.  Due to my, slightly above average, competitive nature, I was able to complete four full cycles plus a fifth cycle of the burpees AND the alternate lunge jumps :)

Even if you only get thru once, it will be worth it. Try it and repeat every 3-7 days, you'll be amazed how quickly you improve. Always be sure to give at least 2 days to recover before repeating. 

The key to success is pushing yourself. Try hard and you can only get stronger! 

Chad

Putting it all together

It's hard to believe, but we are almost 6 weeks into 2012. Doomsday is getting closer and we are going to need to be fit in order to save the world. Kidding. I hope that you are all feeling, at the very least, a little stronger now than you were when this year began. We have been getting our bodies good and ready for some more serious workouts and we are about to have some fun!

We are going to be putting out some 5 - 30 minute workouts over the next few weeks and I hope that you will enjoy them. The idea behind our series of workouts and challenges, is that you can design a workout to fit into any available time slot. If you only have 2 minutes, and we all have 2 minutes, take advantage of it!! If you have 20 minutes or even more, link a few workouts, challenges and quick fits together and create a workout that fills the time. Or do one of our longer workouts (coming soon). Any choice is awesome.

The workout below is a little mix-up of many of the things we've been working on so far. If you haven't been with us, now is as good a time to get going as any!

Part lunge/push-up burnout, part mini-pyramid, and filled with the exercises from the Quick Fit Challenges this little workout will take about 12-15 minutes and will give your whole body a nice once-over. The only variation that is new, is that we are taking the push-up out of the thrust-up. Just do the legs. This makes it a squat thrust instead of a thrust-up.

jog on the spot for 2 minutes (lift your feet 8" off the floor)

30 seconds of plank-jacks

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 1, 2, 3, 4

45 seconds of squat thrusts

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 5, 6, 7

60 seconds of mountain climbers

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 8, 9

45 seconds of squat thrusts

lunge/push-up burnout - round 10

30 seconds of plank-jacks

The link below is to a video that is the 3 minute exercise demonstration and workout description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE36UAHF6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

I will also be posting the video for the workout soon and will also post my results so that you can try to beat me.  You can do this workout all by itself or add it into any other workout that you do. It is guaranteed to make you more fit, make you sweat, and make you utter a few curse words.  Enjoy!

February Quick Fit Challenge - Daily updates on our facebook page.

Okay, we've been friends long enough. It's time to raise the bar! January, and all of it's negative energy, is gone. February is here and it's a clean slate. The beauty of it all, is that all we need to do is a little more than we did in January and we will be moving in the right direction. Of course, doing a lot more is also an option, but let's be realistic. In order to facilitate things, we have designed a month-long challenge for February. Complete a 2 minute quick fit challenge every day for 1 month. That's less than 1 hour dedicated to your fitness for the whole month. You will get back much more than that in strength gains...guaranteed! There are 8 different challenges so you will get to have a third and sometimes fourth chance to improve at the challenge. I have attached a copy of the month's challenges and I suggest printing it out and tracking your numbers as you go. To get more out of the month, a few times each week, the challenge should be a component of a bigger workout. Give it a shot, you will NOT be disappointed! We are starting with jumping jacks. As you will see (once I get home from taking Ayden to her 'sea turtle' swimming lesson and can load the video), I got 140. Remember when doing these...be bouncy!

Here's the proof...

 day one : 140reps