Exercises

I often talk about incorporating burpees (including a push up and tuck jump), squat jumps, lunge jumps, and side lunge touch downs into your workouts. Just so people know exactly what I am talking about I downloaded some videos of myself doing the exercises. I have ankle weights on in the squat/lunge jump video which is of course optional, but if you think they are too easy try them with a pair of ankle weights on to challenge yourself.

I find these are great to do on days when you are focusing on weight training more than cardio, but you still want to get your heart rate up. Try these in between your normal stationary weight lifting exercises.

(You may hear my good friend Ben Conner commentating in the background)

Burpee

                                                               Side lunge touch downs 

Squat and Lunge Jumps with ankle weights 

"I Can"

Never tell yourself you can't do something, try it first.

Today I trained my mom and my two aunts. Now all three of these lovely women are over 40, yet they all proved that age doesn't matter by kicking butt in an extremely hard, high intensity circuit that I put them through. Naturally, at first they were apprehensive about doing some of the moves because they were out of their comfort zone. However, instead of just saying,"I can't do that exercise," they all gave it a try, and after the second time going through the circuit, they were already improving on their form and coordination. These exercises aren't easy, but they are different, making them really enjoyable. Going through the circuit three times took them a total of 17 minutes to do, and all three were exhausted by the end. One of my aunts runs three miles a day, and the other bikes over 20 miles regularly, yet they both really struggled in doing these exercises because they are total body workouts, that require coordination, balance, core strength, and endurance. So, despite the fact that this circuit was half of the time of their usual work outs, they found it to be even more challenging. 

I wanted to tell you about training them because it just proves that it doesn't matter what age or fitness level you are, you can really do anything you commit to. If you immediately tell yourself, "I can't do this," then you're right, you won't be able to. Instead, give it a try and push yourself to do something outside of your comfort zone, because once you get the hang of it you'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment then you do finishing a workout that you are comfortable with. 

Below I posted some pictures of exercises that I think are great for people to try and work into their weekly exercise routine. They are so simple and effective yet many people try to avoid them. Push ups, squats, and step ups. Try to work on these simple moves, even if you can only do 10 in a row and have to start on your knees for the push ups, you'll never improve if you don't start somewhere. 

Normal push ups and more challenging push ups (this way you can't say they get boring).

Squats jumps holding weight out in front (you don't have to use the extra weight), normal squats with weight on back, step ups with sandbag on shoulder.

(And so I dedicate this post to my mom and my aunts for kicking some major butt today!)

Train Hard

Along with the diet tip in my previous post, I decided to write about what types of workouts I find to be the most all around beneficial.

First of all, you do not need to run on the treadmill for 60 minutes to get an intense, exhausting workout. I used to go to the gym, run 6 miles on the treadmill, do some sit-ups, and then leave thinking I had just conquered the world.

However, after working with several trainers and getting advice from different friends who are into fitness like myself, I finally started to see the benefit of doing types of high intensity circuit training instead. It is so much more beneficial, better for your body (improves your muscular and aerobic fitness), and for the girls who are concerned with how many calories their treadmill says they have burned, it burns far more calories, especially at rest, than long distance running. Best of all, it takes half of the time.

Today my circuit was composed of the following exercises listed below, (i'll post pictures of different exercises this weekend), and I performed them four times through, (50 seconds performing the exercise, 10 seconds rest), using an interval timer that I would recommend to EVERYONE reading this. It's called "gymboss" and you can get it here... http://www.gymboss.com/.

1. push up, touch opposite hand to toe, switch sides
2. touch down side lunges
3.burpees (with push up and tuck jump)
4.step-ups using 10 pound ankle weights
5.dips (on the bench)
6.jump rope

What is so great about these exercises is that you aren't given a set amount of reps that you have to complete, you are just timed for 50 seconds so you have to push yourself to get as many reps as you can (while still maintaining proper form). You can also do them anywhere with little equipment, today I just used a jump rope and some ankle weights, and picked a grassy spot on campus. You may think a 25-35 minute workout sounds like a piece of cake, but try it out, and with only 10 seconds rest in between each exercise, believe me you are dripping with sweat and exhausted by the end.

Power Food Of The Week!

I've decided to write about a power food every week. This week, I've chosen quinoa, because it is absolutely amazing and I've become obsessed with it, especially within the last year.

So what the heck is quinoa (Keen-wah)? It's a grain, an incredibly nutritious one!

As we all know, proteins are made up of amino acids. While vegetarians often get their sources of protein from grains, nuts, ect, they aren't getting all of the essential amino acids that our bodies need. What is so awesome about quinoa is that it provides all of the amino acids, making it a great source of protein.
Besides that, it is also incredibly high in fiber and helps to keep you feeling full longer. Lastly, for those who need it, quinoa is gluten-free.
Now most foods that are this good for you normally don't taste very good, but I can vouch that quinoa is definitely an exception. While it may not taste as good as white rice with butter and salt, it has a great grainy texture, and if you're not into the taste at first, you can simply swap half of your brown rice for quinoa and mix the two together to get a great source of carbs and protein.

Since I don't eat any meat other than fish, it's really difficult for me to get enough protein in during the school week. So, what I like to do is cook a huge batch of quinoa during the weekend (you cook it basically the same way as rice), and then bring it with me to school and heat it up for dinner. For example, tonight I had a big bowl with some almonds mixed in, and it was delicious! I also often use it in place of rice when I'm making a shrimp and veggie stir fry. However, it's not specifically a "dinner food," there are plenty of other recipes with it, such as mixing it in with your oatmeal in the morning.

So, the next time you go to the grocery store to get some rice, pause and remember reading this post and the awesome benefits you can get by switching to quinoa-- or at least adding some in with your meal. And if the health benefits I've described don't persuade you to make a change, it's just kind of fun to say.

This is my first official blog! Can't wait to share some of my beliefs and ideas about fitness and nutrition, and hear some feedback and tips from other people. Fitness has become such a huge part of my life, and I've been committed to reading about and hearing all different types of opinions in order to get the best idea about what exercises and foods will benefit people the most.

For my first blog, I've decided to talk about what it is like to be an individual who eats healthy (I follow a pesco-lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, meaning I don't eat any meat except fish, and I also eat eggs and dairy), works out daily, and doesn't drink or smoke... while in college.

First of all, I don't want anyone to think I am some crazy health freak, and seeing as I am counting down the days until lent is over so I can indulge in a peanutbuttercupblast (YAY!) from Brusters, I don't think that would be the correct label. However, I do normally eat healthy, organic, and fresh foods, and really commit to (and enjoy) getting at least 45 minutes of exercise in daily. It's definitely more of a challenge to live this type of lifestyle in college, as the cafeteria food, for lack of a better word, sucks... and many people would rather go out on saturday night then go to bed at 9:00 pm so they can get up at 6:00 am to work out, which is totally understandable. So, keeping this type of routine up every day, 7 days a week, can get stressful at times, (especially while trying to get an A in all 6 classes), but it's what makes me happy. I used to judge others for their lack of commitment to health and fitness, but I have worked on learning to let people live their lives whatever way makes them happy too, because that is what life is all about really, being happy.

And so, I hope to bring some happiness to who is ever reading my blog by informing, entertaining, and motivating people to change their lives for the better by training hard, eating healthy, and being happy!