For those busy and lazy to find out how to stay fit and healthy.
It’s simple. Fallow these principles:
1. Eat less
2. Move more
3. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains
4. Don’t eat too much junk food
5. Enjoy what you do and eat
The easiest way to improve your diet is to develop a habit to eat 6 pieces of fruits and vegetables every day. The best way to do this is to eat 6 different pieces – 3 fruits and 3 vegetables. They also should be all in different color.
Here are the huge benefits from this very easy to develop habit:
1. You will give your body plenty of vitamins and fiber
2. Since fruits and vegetables are filling because of a lot of fiber they contain, you will eat less bad foods
3. You will protect your body with antioxidants they richly contain
4. They have low amount of calories no sodium and they are filling
5. They are very tasty
6. You will feel better
7. You will perform better
8. You will focus better
9. You will sleep better
10. You will look better
11. You will lose weight
More about healthy diet:
We spent our days reacting, responding and initiating. We tend to reserve the third one, initiating for quite times, good times, down times, bad times. We wait until our to do list is empty.
It’s possible to spend an entire day working, calling, watching TV, reading paper, surfing Internet, facebooking, responding what’s coming in and never initiate a think.
It’s possible to spend an entire day (actually it’s possible to spend an entire life) doing nothing but responding to something.
One big initiating is keeping yourself fit. Mentally and physically. You need to initiate to find time for your workout. You need to initiate to find a way to fit it into your schedule. You need to initiate to push yourself to do it even if you don’t feel like it. But the reward usually is: you feel good, you are fitter, you have more energy, so you initiate even more.
The godfather of fitness Jack LaLanne is 94 years old. He is in a great health and shape. He says: “Exercise is king and nutrition is queen. Together you have kingdom.”
Here are the secrets to his great shape and health:
1. He sticks to diet of fish, whole grains, vegetables and doesn’t eat flour or sugar
2. He says, that he lifts weights for 2 hours a day
3. He swims at least 30 min. daily
4. He changes his workout every 30 days, sometimes he runs or does other cardiovascular exercise
5. When he does his running it’s up hill or up stairs
6. He says: “Everything I do is vigorous”.
While I don’t recommend lifting weights for 2 hours a day (3 times a week for an hour is enough), It seems like physical activity and proper nutrition is the key to a healthy, strong, long life. Strong, smiling, fit older people in gyms, running tracks, tennis courts, swimming pools, oceans are the evidence of this fact.
People are often asking me: Is it possible to have a cocktail, glass of wine or bear and stay fit? Can I eat chocolate and still look good? I eat chips sometimes; is it ok? If I go out and party and don’t sleep much, will I be able to exercise next day?
Yes, you can have it all!
You should keep your body and mind in great shape at all times. But, that doesn’t mean, you can’t have some fun too. If you really want, you can have it all – fit body, positive mind, and fun.
I thing, that this is secret to your success:
You need to stay physically active every day, period!
And then – chocolate, cocktail, wine, beer, dance, chips, party, popcorn, ice cream, – in moderation!
I have been training Marta for 2 years now. She likes to exercise outside and she loves beach. I designed this circuit training for her.
If you like outdoors and don’t enjoy gym environment; and you are looking for challenging circuit training this workout is for you.
Circuit training is nice, time efficient way to add some cardio exercise while improving muscle fitness and strength. By blending cardio and strength exercise, you will improve your cardiovascular fitness and strength in the same time.
You will need 8 lb heavy ball and pair of 5 lb dumbbells for women and 10 Lb dumbbells for men. If the dumbbells feel light go for heavier ones if they feel heavy go for lighter.
You can and should use heart rate monitor to monitor your heart rate. Click here to see where should your heart rate be while doing this circuit workout.
Some guidelines before you start:
1. Start your exercise with warm up. Light running or jogging for 5 minutes is a great warm up
2. Do few simple stretches for all body parts
4. When doing circuit training, your rest between exercises should be kept to a minimum to maximize cardiovascular benefits by keeping your heart rate pumping at an elevated rate
Start!
2 – 7 circles:
1. High knee run with heavy ball side turns – 20 R (repetitions) of turns to each side
Grab heavy ball, and hold it in the front of your body with your hands straightened.
While running on the spot, trying to lift your knees as high as you can, turn heavy ball in your straightened hands to the sides. Repeat.
2. One leg stand dumbbell rows – 10 R each leg stand
Grab dumbbells, standing on one leg lean forward, keeping your back straight and head up. Keep your lifted leg straightened and lifted as high as you can and perform rows. Repeat on opposite leg.
3. Knee push ups on heavy ball - 10 R each side
Assume push up position keeping your knees on the floor and one arm placed on the ball. Perform push ups. Repeat push ups with a ball on opposite side.
4. Soccer drill – 30 R each leg
Stand in the front of the heavy ball. Jump from one foot to another while taping the ball on the top with your feet.
5. Lawn mover – 20 R each hand
Assume the squad position, holding dumbbells, keeping your back straight and head up. Start moving your hands alternately up and down.
6. One leg stand shoulder press – 10 R each leg stand
Grab dumbbells, stand on one leg, extend the other one as high as you can and perform shoulder presses. Than do the same on the opposite leg.
7. Squad jumps - 20 R
While holding heavy ball in the front of your head start squad jumping.
8. Jumping jacks shoulder press – 20 R
Grab dumbbells and bring them up just above your shoulders, keeping your feet together. Jump jumping jack and lift dumbbells up. Repeat.
9. Crunches with heavy ball – 25 R
Lie down and grab heavy ball. Bent your knees, straighten your arms while holding the ball. Start lifting your body up and down. Don’t go all the way up and don’t go all the way down to keep your abdominal muscles flexed at all times. You should achieve the ” ab burn” within 25 repetitions.
Intensive strength training has a bigger effect on metabolism – calorie burn and weight loss than endurance exercise.
Intensity is the most important factor determining post-workout metabolism, so the harder you work in the gym or on the beach the more calories your body will burn afterward.
People who intensively strength train achieve so called – post-workout fat oxidation. “Fat oxidation” is what happens when your body uses oxygen and fat cells to turn into energy.
Yes you burn more calories while you do your aerobic workout for an hour than lifting weights for an hour, but 13 hours after the intensive weight workout, the men and women are burning 20% more fat than they did 13 hours after the aerobic workout.
You would’ve need to burn twice as many calories during your aerobic workout, to reach the level of post-workout fat oxidation achieved by weight lifting.
Even if evidences show, that weight lifting is more effective to loose fat, you shouldn’t forget your aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is a part of well balanced exercise program that improves your cardiovascular system and keeps your heart healthy, plus it also burns a lot of calories too.
