It is always helpful to have a goal to work towards when it comes to fitness. Not goals like lose this much weight, but rather goals like run a half marathon or run a 5k in this time. The other great thing about many of the local runs is often the money goes to support a charity group. So how about it? Get in shape by motivating yourself towards a fun goal while supporting a cause.

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Whenever you eat something, look at the portion, or serving sizes on the nutrition facts panel. Most of the nutrition facts themselves are easy enough to understand, but what many people fail to realize is that when they are eating something with, say, 100 calories per serving, they often don’t look at the part that says one serving equals such and such cups. It may say two or even three servings per package if the item is a drink or snack. That means if you eat or drink the entire package in one sitting like many of us do, that 100 calories per serving just turned in to 200 or 300 calories. What is bad enough already is that serving sizes are almost twice as much as they were 30 years ago on average. A regular cup of coffee or a bagel now days have two to three times the calories they used to.

So, make sure that you are aware of serving sizes when eating items out of packages and don’t trick yourself into thinking you are only consuming one-third the actual amount you actually are consuming. Don’t be a victim of portion distortion!

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Hey train2move fans and welcome back for another great fitness tip!

Lots of times when we work out, we need that extra motivation to get us excited and pumped to really get after it. Music can be that simple addition to any workout that just gives you the mental edge to push yourself a little farther than you think you can go. I find that sometimes I easily get distracted by surroundings when I am doing a tough workout, and the easiest way to really block out those distractions is to pop in some earphones and an ipod, turn on my favorite workout playlist, and rock out while working out.

You need to find a pair of earphones that are comfortable and stay in your ears well, especially if you like listening to music while you run. Also, there are some good arm band for holding ipods and other music players that you can get for pretty cheap. All you do is simply attach it around you arm, then run the ipod cable up your sleeve, and there you go, you’re ready to jam. If you don’t have an arm band, you can always get a pair of shorts with pockets and simply  keep your ipod in you pocket.

One thing I like to do is browse the itunes store or the internet for different workout playlists that people have created. There are some pretty good ones out there with many of the classic exercise pump up songs if you’re into that kind of music. You can either download those, or just listen to them and choose your favorite songs, then create your own workout playlist from there.

This week, try working out to your favorite workout music and see if it makes a difference in the quality of your routines.

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This past week for me was all about relaxing and watching mostly football. On Sunday, I watched 2 straight games, which means about 5 hours of TV. Another thing I did this week was register to run at my first indoor track meet of the season 2 weeks from now, so now is not a particularly good time for me to sit on a couch 5 straight hours. In order to fill my football cravings and get in some good training, I just combined the two. Instead of sitting on the couch while watching the games, I sat on the floor and did various hip activation exercises and stretches to get my body loose and warmed up, then during each commercial break, I ran outside and did 2 sprints, up and down my driveway (which is a solid 40 yard dash). Do that every commercial break for 2 whole football games and you can get in over 50 sprints. Not a bad way to train for a Sunday afternoon. My legs were pretty sore the next day too.

You don’t necessarily have to go sprint, but I would challenge you to take commercial breaks to get up and do some physical activity, depending on what your goals are. If you are a runner, go do some quick strides. If you want to build strength, do some pushups, then stretch back out while watching you show. Get in some sit-ups or crunches if you want to work your abs. The toughest part is to be disciplined enough to do it, rather than go grab the chips or ice cream during the break. Plus, why just sit there anyways? How many times do we really need to hear how we can save money on our car insurance by switching to Geico?

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The tip for this week is more of a challenge than just a tip. This week, going into this next year, sit down and write out all the different fitness strengths and weaknesses you have. What comes easy for you, and what is difficult? Too often, people focus only on their strengths, while overlooking their weaknesses. The obvious reason for this is that it is much more difficult to train you weak areas than your strong ones.

Challenge yourself to schedule times where you will specifically train in one area where you know you are weaker. For some, it may be running. Maybe it is lifting. Some people never stretch because they know they are not very flexible to begin with. This can even apply to any sport you play. Think of basketball for example. If you are right handed, I would be willing to bet that you dribble with your right hand 98% of the time, because it’s easy. But, if you really want to improve you game, you can probably start by dribbling twice as much with your left hand as your right, because it is your weaker hand, and you can make the biggest improvements there. It may not be as comfortable, familiar, easy, or fun, but it will only help you to get better. Whatever it may be, figure out what it is that you struggle with, and work on that area. That is going to be the area where you can most improve.

Loren Sheets

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First, try doing them feet assisted. The best way to do this is to go to a gym and place a barbell on a squat rack, then hold onto the bar while in a squat position with your feet flat on the ground, directly under you hips. Now perform a pull-up, pressing with your feet to help you up, but using as much of your arms in the move as you can. Try to get up to 20 repetitions. The good thing about doing this is anyone with the ability to stand up can do it. You can use as much assistance from your feet as you need, and you can vary how hard you make the pull-up by using more upper body and less lower. If you have a person you are working out with, you can have your partner help you by holding onto your feet, or by pressing up on your back. The partner pull-ups will be a little harder than the feet assisted pull-ups.

The next one is to do a negative pull-up. This would be the next step up from feet or partner assisted. The emphasis of the negative pull-up is not so much the pulling up, but rather the lowering down. Use a bench to help you jump up to a pull-up position, then lower yourself down as slow as you can and repeat.

If you are someone who struggles with doing pull-ups or cannot do a pull-up, use these variations on the pull-up to help gain strength in your upper body. Even if you can do a significant number of pull-ups, it is still a good idea to use the negative pull-up and the assisted pull-up in your routines.

Loren Sheets

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It’s getting to be the time for the Holidays again. And that means parties, presents, family, and food. Lots of food. And little time for exercise. That can only mean one thing: weight gain. Yes, there are worse things that can happen, but who wants to go into a New Year discouraged about the couple extra pounds they put on over 2 weeks? Also, it can be too cold outside to get in a good run, or the ground might be icy and unsafe to run on.
Instead, what you might need to do is an old-fashioned treadmill run. Treadmills are safer than icy roads, and more enjoyable than freezing temperatures, if you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest. One thing you should be sure to do though when using a treadmill is to stop every ten minutes or so a do a couple quick moves to help out the efficiency of your hips. On a treadmill, your body is not actually moving forward, as opposed to running. Therefore, the impact on your legs can increase significantly. Stopping to do a couple different exercises every few minutes can drastically help out your lower legs as well as your upper body. Try doing these 5 moves at least every 10 minutes you run on a treadmill this winter.

Twisting Lunge Walk 20 steps – standing, place hands behind head and step one leg far out in front of body, dropping back knee to the floor and keeping chest up tall. Now twist entire torso so shoulders are parallel the side of the body of the front leg. Then continue stepping forward, bringing back leg through, and continue on other leg.

Lateral Lunge Walk 20 steps each direction – standing, drop hips into a squatting position, now take a long step to the side, keeping back flat and toes pointed forward. Bring other foot back under hips, keeping hips low through the entire range of motion.

Bear Crawl 20 steps – on hands and knees, keep back flat and alternate stepping forward with opposite hand and foot. Keep the knees close to the ground through the entire move.

Rotation High Knee Walk Forward and Backward 20 steps – standing, lift right leg out to the side and bring knee up, like stepping over a trashcan. Rotate entire leg around to front, keeping knee as high as possible through the entire move. Continue on other leg, then repeat going backwards.

Inchworm 5x – standing, reach hands down to ground, keeping legs straight. Now walk hands as far out as possible while keeing thighs flexed and back straight. Once in an extended position, begin walking feet back up towards hands. Remember to not leg the knees bend. Repeat.

Also, check out the store for several complete cardio programs with additional moves to incorporate muscular efficiency into your workout.

Loren Sheets

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We have already covered some good stretches you should do right after you wake up in the morning to help activate your muscular system. What about before going to bed? Throughout the day we all develop tightness and stress in different areas of our body. These areas often include our neck, upper and lower backs, hip flexors and hamstrings. Most of these can be attributed to the lack of stimulus to our muscular system throughout the day to take our joints through their full range of motion, as well as the seated position our bodies cast to over a period of time.

Before going to bed, you should take advantage of these 5 great moves that will help to combat the tightness that builds up so you sleep better, and ultimately don’t allow those tightnesses to consistently progress into worse and worse posture that could eventually result in chronic pain symptoms.

These moves focus on lengthening out the different muscles that most often become tight from sitting on a consistent basis.

Downward Dog – Lengthens the hamstrings and lower back. From your hands and knees, point your toes into the ground then lift your hips by straightening out your legs. Keep you quads flexed and try to pull your chest towards your knees. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds.

Lower Spinal Floor Twist – A very standard move that loosens up the lower portion of the back. Lay on your back with your legs straight on the floor. Now raise one leg up with your knee bent at 90 degrees, and with the opposite hand, pull it down across your body. Your lower back should be twisting as you pull your knee down, keeping both shoulders on the floor. Hold between 30 and 60 seconds each side.

Cats and Dogs – A move that goes well after a spinal rotation move like the lower spinal floor twist as it reintroduces flexion and extension into the spine. From your hands and knees, tuck your chin to your chest as you arch your back up towards the ceiling, then look up towards the ceiling as you let your back drop towards the floor. Repeat this motion 10 to 20 times

Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch – Lengthens out tight hip flexors from sitting. From a kneeling position, place one foot out in front of your body and press your weight into that hip. Be sure to contract the glute of the leg in back, and do not let your front knee go farther than your front foot. Keep your shoulders up tall throughout the stretch. Hold 30 to 60 seconds each side.

Spreadfoot Forward Bend – Lengthens out hamstrings and groin. Stand with your feet spread out as comfortably a possible, then bend forward from the waist, keeping your back flat and quads contracted. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

Loren Sheets

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A simple tip this week, yet it is very important. Breakfast is the most often skipped meal of the day. Unfortunately, I miss breakfast occasionally due to a busy schedule, but especially if your goal is to lose weight, breakfast is not the meal you want to cut out of your diet. First off, you shouldn’t be skipping meals in order to lose weight, but never skip breakfast if the goal is weight loss.

Breakfast is the meal that wakes up your metabolism. The body has been asleep for a number of hours and your body has slowed the rate of energy usage. Breakfast starts up that whole process again. If you skip breakfast, your body will kick into starvation mode and begin to conserve. This is opposite of what you want it to do if your aim is to lose weight. Now, your breakfast shouldn’t be three doughnuts, two bowls of sugar puffs, and a chocolate muffin. Aim for more like toast with jelly or butter (not margarine), whole grain cereals, oatmeal, fruit, orange juice, all the breakfast classics.

You will feel like you have more energy to start the day when you eat a good breakfast, and that’s because your body is really waking up. If you have a busy schedule like me and have trouble getting up early enough to get breakfast, try finding breakfast items that don’t take long to prepare or you can take with you and eat on the way to wherever you are going. Don’t go another day without getting a good breakfast, and if your breakfast isn’t exactly the healthiest, start small and make changes in what you’re eating. Just like anything else, it has to become a habit. Definitely make this a habit from now on.

Loren Sheets

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Cardio machines take up a lot of space in most gyms due to their popularity and since they generally are easy to use, they are a simple way to get your heart rate up, burn some calories, and work on your lung capacity and endurance.

Remember though, each form of stimulus has both positive effects on the body as well as negatives. Look at the recumbent bike for example. What are the positive outcomes of using one for 20 to 40 minutes a few times a week? Well, it gets your heart rate up and burns calories. From a muscular standpoint, however, there can be some negative effects on your body if you never change up this one repetitive stimulus. For one, the constant seated position it like putting a cast on the muscles of the hips. Yes, the quads are getting lots of stimulus, and it gets your heart rate up, but as you may know, we cannot enough emphasize the importance of balancing the muscular system. Getting out of the seated position and giving your muscles a variety of stimulus will improve your overall fitness.

Change up your cardio routines often to give your muscular system new and different forms of stimulus. There are all sorts of ways to get different forms of cardio training. Treadmills, row machines, elliptical machines, running stairs, going out for a run, getting on the bike, jump-roping, swimming. Try not to choose the most comfortable one and do it over and over. Challenge yourself and change up your routine.

Check out our store at the top of the page, and look for the cardio cheat sheets. In this product we provide a series of cardio options that also include exercises to “neutralize” the negative effects of some cardio equipment to get the most out of your workout.

Loren Sheets

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