Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer

So I've decided that I want to take a break from fitness competitions for at least a year.  The dieting and intense workouts really take a toll on your body.  I have not, however, given up on my goals to be healthy, fit, and strong! :)

In order to easily transition myself into a 'maintenance' fitness regime after being on structured plans for the past year, I am going to be doing the Jamie Eason 12 Week Live Fit Trainer on bodybuilding.com.  She includes a 12 week plan with nutrition (all clean meals) and workout plans.

I will be starting on a Monday (Dec. 5) so that I have the weekend to get my food together, with the 12 weeks ending the week of Mar. 5.  What better way to gain lean muscle and stay in check during the holiday season?

Not only is it absolutely free, but there are portions for men and women in the nutrition plan!  I'm excited to see the changes I can create! :)

Gym Closed????

With the holidays upon us, we will run into a lot of days when gyms are closed early or closed for the entire day.  So what do you do if you can't get to the gym?  Obviously, you can just go for a run for cardio.  Make it an interval cardio by sprinting for a minute, jogging for 2, then lunging for another 2 (5 minutes total) and repeat until you have done the amount of cardio desired.

But what about weights?  If you don't have free weights at your house, this body weight workout is a great option:

http://www.fitnessrxmag.com/fitness/cardio/970-bodyweight-blast.html

Enjoy! :)

Sniffle Season

With the holidays always comes flu season. So what do you do if you get a cold or the flu and aren't at 100%? Do you push through and work out anyways?

Working out sick doesn't work for me. Some people can push through but I end up prolonging recovery. Most times my body just needs rest. However, everyone is different. The rule of thumb seems to be that light cardio is okay if you have a cold. Moderate weight lifting seems to be acceptable as well. Lifting or exercising with a fever is never recommended.

Everyone's body is unique and responds to illness differently so it's important to be in tune with your own body and know when you need rest. Don't jump back in 100% after recovery either. Make sure you ease into your workout regimen to avoid a relapse.

Stay healthy and train hard!!! :)

Workout Playlist

Based on a wonderful reader's suggestion, here's my current workout playlist from my iPod. Some of the songs are pretty random. :). They're just songs I've shuffled through on my iPod that work for me. :). Enjoy and train hard!

Usher & David Guetta- Without You
LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It
Salt n Pepa - Push It
Three Six Mafia - Lolli Lolli
Dev - In The Dark
Bring Me The Horizon - Chelsea Smile
Britney Spears - 3
Nikki Minaj - Super Bass
Enrique Iglesias - Dirty Dancer
Pitbull and Neyo - Give Me Everything
Black Eyed Peas - Don't Stop the Party
LMFAO - Party Rock
Dev - Bass Down Low
New Boys - Backseat
Lady Gaga - Judas
Notch - Que Te Pica
Britney Spears - Till The World Ends

Cardi-o-o-O!!!! :)

It is important to incorporate both weight training AND cardio into your exercise routine to effective create lean muscle.

I'll go into the large world of weight training in other posts, but I thought I'd post a sample cardio routine that will really help with fat loss.

Before cardio, make sure you warm up by walking for 5 minutes on the treadmill or using the elliptical at a moderate pace.

Monday:
Treadmill, 45 minutes, speed 3.0, incline 13 (steady climb)

Tuesday:
Treadmill Intervals:
Jog 6.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 7.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 7.5mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 8.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min

Wednesday:
Active REST (go for a walk or something)

Thursday:
Elliptical, 45 minutes, choose the 'fat burn' or similar preset on your elliptical : the key is to keep your heart rate at 60-75% of your maximal heart rate (http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm)

Friday:
Treadmill, 45 minutes, speed 3.0, incline 13 (steady climb)

Saturday:
Treadmill Intervals:
Jog 6.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 7.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 7.5mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min
Run 8.0mph-5min
Incline 15% at 3.5mph no hands- 5min

Sunday:
Active REST (go for a walk or something)

Your cardio should be challenging (ESPECIALLY the interval days).  If you can carry on a conversation, text, or attentively read during your cardio, you aren't working hard enough.

Always stretch after you work out.  Stretching before can be beneficial, but it is more important to stretch your muscles when they're warm and have just worked, because that's when they're the most pliable.

Have fun, burn fat, and let me know how this works out! :)

Tick, tock...

Plenty of people say, 'I don't have time to workout'. The fact of the matter is that it isn't that you don't have time, you're not willing to MAKE time.  A one hour workout is only 4% of your day. We all have the same amount of hours in the day.  'You don't have kids, you don't understand'.  Yes, that is true - I DON'T have children.  But I DO have a full time job, a husband, a dog, a house, and many responsibilities.  I also know plenty of IFBB pros with children, a spouse, job, house, etc. and they make it work.  No excuses.  If you really want to change your body, stop spending time complaining about your lack of time and make it a priority.  How long do you spend watching TV a day?  Why not DVR all your shows during the week, forgo those shows, and watch them on your rest day during the weekend?

I wake up at 4 in the morning so that I can get my hour of morning cardio in, walk my dog, and then get to work.  After work I lift and do PM cardio if it's required.  I make it a priority to get all of my workouts in, even if that means waking up at an undesirable hour.  I know plenty of nurses and doctors with night schedules that still make time to workout.

Do you REALLY want it?
Do you want to prolong your life?
Do you want to feel good in your own skin?
Do you want to be healthy and strong?

Then make it a priority to work out.  Even if it's just 20 minutes a day, or 30 minutes a couple days a week - it's better than sitting on your bum and complaining about how tired/fat/weak you are.

Make today the day YOU change your priorities...the clock is ticking. :)

I don't want to be bulky!

I hear it all the time when I tell female friends/family that they should incorporate weights into their exercise regimen: "I don't want to get bulky/look like a man/have huge muscles."    Many women think that if they start lifting weights they will instantly swell up, get a square jaw, and look like a female bodybuilder. 

The truth of the matter is that women don't naturally build muscles like men do.  Without testosterone supplementation or anabolic steroids, it simply isn't going to happen. The picture below really shows the reality of lifting weights for women:

But don't be deceived.  Looking the Jamie Eason on the far right doesn't come from lifting 5 lb. dumbbells 3 times a week.  It takes a consistently clean diet, cardio, and a combination of heavy lifting and high reps/low weight to get lean muscle like that.

So don't be afraid to lift!  Throw on some gloves, head into the weight room, and grow some lean muscle!  Show the boys how the ladies lift! :)

Forgiving Yourself

So you had a slip-up.  You ate too much, you ate unhealthy food, you didn't work out, etc.

DON'T beat yourself up.  You can't change what you did yesterday.  Sure, you could go do extra sessions of cardio and try to burn off extra calories.  But chances are you'll just exhaust yourself and end up right back in that slip-up zone.

Forgive yourself, learn from your mistake(s), and get back to it!  Everyone slips up and loses motivation.  What will set you apart is your ability to get out of that funk and get back to the grind!

Happy training! :)

Tacky Tuesday

Sometimes I wake up at 4 am for cardio feeling like super woman and head to the gym to kill it! Sometimes I really don't want to get up and go through every excuse possible in my head and have to convince myself to go, which I do. Once I DID get up, drive to the gym, get on the treadmill, and turn around and head back home for an extra 45 minutes of sleep. LOL! That has only happened once though. ;)

Most days, though, my body is on autopilot and I just GO. Today was one of those days. In fact, I was so very much on autopilot that it wasn't until 30 minutes into my cardio that I noticed my pant were on inside out. LOL!!

When you're embarking on your journey to be fit or changing up your workout you are going to have to motivate YOURSELF. You are doing this for YOU, to be there longer for the ones you love, to feel good, to look good, to be strong.

So just remember that there will be hard and easy days as well as days that you just go with inside out pants on. ;). It's going to be hard, but it gets easier the more fit you get. If it were easy EVERYONE would look like a fitness model... :)

Train hard! And check your pants!