Workout 38 - The Accumulator!

Ready to rack up some reps?  The accumulator workout does just what it says...accumulates exercises!  Start with round 1 each time.  Even when you move on to round 2, you must first complete round 1 and then round 2.  When you move on to round 3, you start with round 1, then do round 2 and then do round 3.  10 reps for all exercises.  Take a small break between rounds.  If you don't have weights, substitute a body weight exercise.  At the beginning you may not need much of a break, but by the last few rounds you will be looking for them!  Good luck :)

Warm Up
March or Jog - 1 min
Butt kicker run - 1 min
Standing oblique twists - 1 min
Hand claps (front/back) - 30 secs
Walk on tip toes - 30 secs

Round 1 - 10 bicep curls
Round 2 - 10 squat presses
Round 3 - 10 dips
Round 4 - 10 reclined knee in's
Round 5 - 10 backward lunges (10 each leg)
Round 6 - 10 dumbbell swings
Round 7 - 10 pushups
Round 8 - 10 star jumps - Finish like a superstar!!

Stretch and Done!

The Secret of Successful Weight Control

We are going to share some top secret information that will help you drop weight faster that people are dropping their home phone lines.   Are you ready, it's a simple concept called energy balance!  It is all about calories in versus calories expended.  If you want to gain weight, take in more calories than you burn.  If you want to lose weight, expend more calories than you take in.  If you want to maintain weight, equal it out!  It's a pretty easy concept so why is 66% of our population overweight?  Let's take a look at the facts...

First of all, most of us underestimate the number of calories we consume in a day, underestimate the caloric content of foods, and overestimate the number of calories we burn during expenditure.  It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat and vice versa for weight gain.  So look at it this way, if you have a caloric deficit of 500 calories/day in one week you will lose 1 pound (which is recommended).

How do we figure this?  Follow the link below for great information on caloric balance (courtesy of the CDC).
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/calories/index.html#Am%20I%20in%20Calorie%20Balance

Also, here are a few useful websites and or apps that can help you track your calories in and out:

www.choosemyplate.gov/
www.fitday.com
http://caloriecount.about.com/ (they also have an app)

And don't forget, there is also the old reliable pen and paper for recording.  You can then use the above sites to figure out calorie content and expenditure.

JUST DO IT.

EXERCISE: Easy to avoid and easy to ignore.

Find a way to get it on your schedule and make the good choice today to work on your fitness!

Workout 37 - Ice, Ice Baby

Equipment needed: Dumbbells

Warm-up
Jog/march in place - 2 minutes
Sumo squats - 1 minute
Inch worms - 1 minute
Alternating forward stepping lunges with hip flexor stretch

Workout
There are 4 circuits to this workout(2 exercises in each).  Complete each circuit 3 - 4x before moving to the next circuit.

Glute Bridges - 1 minute
Speed Skaters - 1 minute
Repeat 2 - 3x

2 step plank shuffles with 2 push-ups - 2 minutes
Mountain climbers - 2 minutes
Repeat 2 - 3x

Stork Stance Rows - 2 minutes
Burpees - 2 minutes
Repeat 2 - 3x

Bicycle crunches - 1 minute
Speed Skaters - 1 minute
Repeat 2 - 3 x

Workout 36 - 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 Who Do We Appreciate?

Warm-Up:

Jog or march - 1 minute

Butt kicker run - 1 minute

Inchworms - 1 minute

Do all 3 parts before resting

Part 1:  Mountain Climber/Push-up Combo

2 - mountain climbers,  2 - pushups

4 - mountain climbers,  4 - pushups

6 - mountain climbers,  6 - pushups

8 - mountain climbers,  8 - pushups

Part 2:  Squat/Plank Hip Dip Combo (can do squat jumps to increase intensity)

2 - squats,  2 - hip dips (each side)

4 - squats,  4 - hip dips

6 - squats,  6 - hip dips

8 - squats,  8 - hip dips

Part 3:  Dips/Backward Lunges Combo

2 - dips,  2 - backward lunges (each side)

4 - dips,  4 - backward lunges

6 - dips,  6 - backward lunges

8 - dips,  8 - backward lunges

Rest 1 - 2 minutes and repeat!  

Do 2-3 rounds as tolerated

The Stress Buster Diet

While we don't believe anyone should "go on a diet" (we recommend modifications that you can do for the rest of your life) here is a diet that you might relate to ;)  Here's your Friday funny! The Stress Buster Diet

by Unknown Breakfast:  1/2 grapefruit 1 slice whole wheat toast 8 oz. skim milk Lunch:  4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast l cup steamed spinach 1 cup herb tea 1 Oreo cookie Mid-Afternoon snack:  The rest of Oreos in the package 2 pints Rocky Road ice cream, nuts, cherries and whipped cream 1 jar hot fudge sauce Dinner: 2 loaves garlic bread 4 cans or 1 large pitcher Coke 1 large sausage, mushroom and cheese pizza 3 Snickers bars Late Evening News: Entire frozen Sara Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from freezer). Rules for this Diet If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda. When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you do not eat more than they do. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner. Movie related foods do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel. Examples: Milk Duds, buttered popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots and Tootsie Rolls. Cookie pieces contain no calories. The process of breaking causes calorie leakage. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something sweet and gooey. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. . . Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and mashed potatoes; pink grapefruit and ham. Chocolate is a Universal color and may be substituted for any other food color. Anything consumed while standing has no calories. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass. Anything consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to his/her plate. (We ALL know how calories like to cling!)

Workout 35 - Draw your cards right

We know, we know, it's play your cards right but better hope you get lucky on the cards you draw to complete this workout.
We're sticking with the Vegas feel this week because it's fun and you don't have to lose any money to win!

Equipment:
a deck of cards
dumbbells

Dynamic Warm-up:

Jog or march - 1 min
Butt kicker run - 1 min
Inch worms - 1 min
Walk on tip toes - 30 sec
Walk on heels - 30 sec

Your workout is about to get interesting.
Randomly, draw 7 cards from the deck (no cheating)
An Ace equals 1.  However, if you drew hearts, double the number on the card with hearts.
Complete the following exercises by adding the numbers on all cards (remember to double any heart cards).  
Rest whenever you would like between exercises.  Try to complete as quickly as possible.

Squats
Push-ups
Bicycle crunches
DB swings (heavier dumbbells work better for these)
Burpees
Plank DB rows (do total number on each arm)
High Knee Run (only count the right knee)
Tuck Jumps (or squat jumps for less intensity)

Post Workout Refueling

A post workout meal is important to aid with recovery and also to provide energy for the rest of your day.  A post workout meal should be more than just putting calories back in your body.  What you feed your body makes a difference.

The post workout meal preferably should be consumed within 30 minutes of your exercise session.
The post workout meal should include both carbohydrates and protein.  Protein will supply amino acids that will aid muscle recovery / re-building.  The carbohydrates will replenish muscle glycogen stores and supply more energy for your future activities.  Eating the protein with the carbohydrates will allow for faster muscle glycogen replacement.
When we say meal it shouldn't be a full on smorgasbord, just a snack.
Warning:  Not all "workouts" warrant a recovery refuel.  The 4 block walk with your dog is great for your heart.  However, you probably won't need a recovery meal afterwards.  Be smart with your how you consume your calories and be sure that your post workout meal fits into your big caloric plan for the day.
FREE calorie calculator 

Tip:
If you know that you won't have access to food within 30 minutes after completing your workout, plan ahead by bringing along a protein shaker and a high quality protein that can easily be "shaken" with water.