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!

It's NEVER too late!

Five days into our Quick Fit Challenge. I know that there is a group of you already doing the challenges, and doing them very well I might add,  and I assume that there is another group of you who thinks that because you missed the start of the month, it isn't worth it to jump in late. Wrong! Luckily,  today is the perfect day to get started!

There are 8 exercises we are working on this month. We have seen 4 of them. If you double up the ones you missed with the next 4 new ones, you will be all caught up and ready for the second round of the exercises. For example, today you should do 2 minutes of jumping jacks, take a 1 minute break and then do 2 minutes of squats. Tomorrow do 2 minutes of mountain climbers, take a 1 minute break and then do 2 minutes of thrust-ups.

If you ever miss a day along the way, you can always double up and get caught up. If you miss a day and don't double up, no worries, you'll get another chance at that exercise soon enough. Ultimately, our goal this month is to accumulate as many total repetitions as we can in the 58 minutes of exercise. Simply put...the more reps you can do, the fitter you are.  Once you have numbers to improve on, it starts to get fun!!

On a side note, Happy Super Bowl! One of the best days of the year. Enjoy! In fact, indulge a little, just try not to lose total control.

Our Super Bowl cake from 2009 -it was delicious! 

And don't forget, today's challenge is squats. 2 minutes of them. Push hard. The ultimate goal is 100. You will get there!!

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

Pickin' up steam...

Okay...we are about to start a new week...we are about to start a new month. It has all the potential in the world. Will we take advantage of it?

How has the first month gone so far? For me, nothing overly impressive, but I have been improving steadily over the course of the month. After a molasses-like start to January, Kate and I lost a combined 6 pounds this week! 5 words...soup and salad for dinner. You will not get along with the others in your home at night, but stick it out. You WILL celebrate with them when you reach your goals.

The workouts started slowly, one the first week, two the second, but I did 3 this past week, so I'm inching closer to the goal of at least 4. None of the workout this past week lasted more than 30 minutes. In fact, one was only 15 minutes, but they took full advantage of the time I had and I was always sore afterwards. My strength is definitely improving, as is Kate's for that matter. If you have been training this month, then you are certainly feeling the same. That's the beauty of working out, the benefits are virtually instantaneous. If you challenge your muscles they will respond by getting stronger. The best part is that in order to get stronger, they actually get smarter. Your muscles communicate with your brain better and you feel stronger without having to add very much muscle mass. Win Win.

I know a few of you are feeling the benefits already, but it has come to my attention that some of you may not believe that you can even attempt these challenges. YOU CAN! With the exception of some cases, everyone can do these. It's just moving YOUR own body around, something you already do all day. I'm not saying you are all going to be able to do a high level of repetitions or that your form will be perfect, but you WILL improve and you will do so very quickly. Today Kate and I repeated the 2 minute squat challenge and this time she managed 96 and I was able to pull off 97. A combined 20 more than last time! The human body is an amazing machine. See how many squats you can complete in two minutes, and please track your numbers. You can always send them to me if you like.

There are a few quick things about the squat that you should know. Feet at least shoulder width apart. If you find that you have a lot of forward bend when you squat, open your legs up wider. Your goal should be as little forward bend as possible. Sit back into the squat, (like you're going to sit in a chair) don't try to go straight down. In doing so, try to use the glute muscles not just the quads. You will find that if you use your glute muscles, any pain you may feel in your knees will immediately disappear. Most of you won't have any knee pain, not to worry. Make sure you get full range of motion out of each repetition. Try to get your quads to be parallel to the floor. Try this in a mirror, it's further down than if feels!

Enjoy the squats and let's have a good February. Remember...small, steady improvements add up the most over time.

Contest Giveaway!

In honor of hitting 100 "likes" on Facebook we're celebrating by giving away some amazing workout gear.  We have 3 prizes to give away.

First prize: Stability ball, resistance band, and skipping rope
Second prize: Resistance band and skipping rope
Third prize: Skipping rope

To enter this contest follow these 3 steps:
1. "Like" Bodyw8 Fitness on Facebook. If you already like us, ask a friend to like us and if they do, you will both be entered into the contest.
2. Leave a message on the Facebook page telling us you like us. (we're working on our ego...)  :)
3. Tell us what your favourite or least favourite exercise is.

The contest will run until January 31st, 2012.  The winners will be announced on February 1st.

Good luck and thanks for your support!

Mini Pyramid: Squats / Mountain Climbers

It was all set. The girls would have their naps and I would be able to sneak in a workout. but...

Some excuses are perfectly understandable!

I had a small window of time open this afternoon, which happened to be the perfect size to give Challenge #2 a try. It takes 10 minutes total and 3 of those are resting. Not too bad. Wrong!! I think it took me 5 minutes to stand up after it was over. Please check out the video for the exercise demo. It can also be used to time your challenge. Just do what I'm doing. And count your reps.

Challenge #2 - Mini Pyramid: Squats / Mountain Climbers 

30 seconds : Squats

30 seconds : Mountain Climbers

30 seconds : Rest

45 seconds : Squats

45 seconds : Mountain Climbers

45 seconds : Rest

60 seconds : Squats

60 seconds : Mountain Climbers

60 seconds : Rest

45 seconds : Squats

45 seconds : Mountain Climbers

45 seconds : Rest

30 seconds : Squats

30 seconds : Mountain Climbers

Lay down and be proud.

I can't stress the importance of Range of Motion! Keep full range on the squats. Thighs parallel to the floor at the bottom. Move your feet as much as you can with the mountain climbers. By maximizing the distance you cover on each rep, you will maximize the efficiency of the exercise.

Track the total reps you got in each set during the rest period.

I finished with a total of 139 squats and 229 mountain climbers.  Let me know how you do.

Staying Positive!

2 weeks in...I'm trying to stay positive.

Sound familiar?

For most of us, this is what happens, we have it in our minds that we will simply drop 10 pounds and 12 inches in the first couple weeks, then reality steps in and crushes our dreams (sorry, a little frustration sneaking out). Truth is, weight loss is tough! Anyone can do a crash diet, it's the full blown lifestyle change that's hard to implement and even harder to maintain long term. Plus, the side effects of a crash diet include hair loss and divorce...neither of which interest me.

So far, I haven't dropped a pound. Not one! I also haven't been a saint on the eating front. A batch of chocolate brownies had full control over me this weekend. Oh well, they were awesome! What I do know is that I got twice as many workouts in last week as the week before. Progress! I also know that my workouts were more demanding and I was less sore afterwards. Progress! At least I have a couple positive things to build on.

What I need to remember is that maintaining a consistent bodyweight is really the key to it all. Thankfully, I won't always be in the 'weight loss' mode. If the past 2 weeks are what it takes to maintain my weight, I can easily handle that. Now time to get back on track and get through this weight loss phase once and for all.