Holy crap. My first Beast workout of my current 91-day challenge was super hard today! I can certainly tell I have been slacking in the lifting department!! 40 minutes of lifting this morning and worked the whole body including the core! I am feeling like total body rubber at the moment!
In the workout program today, the trainer refers to the lady in the workout as the momma-beast and so I decided I am gonna work towards being the granny-beast.? Sounds like a motivating goal to me!?
Time for a superfood recovery shake and some eggs for extra protein! I hope you have a healthy and active day!!
Now THAT is something worth fighting for!!! My health is something that I do not take for granted any longer! No way!
I spent too many years out of shape, in pain, digestion not working worth a crap (literally), painful knees, fatigue, poor sleep, constant lower back issues and miserable in the head too! That’s no way to live!! I am so happy that I made the decision 2 years ago that I was going to change this!
The decision was made after going through every medical test known to man including colonoscopy and finding out that there was nothing medically wrong with me!!! Ultimately I was just unhealthy, fat and out of shape! What an epiphany that was!!!
I said NO MORE and started working my ass off, superfood and professional fitness every day and clean eating and my body totally transformed. …and guess what? My whole mental health and mood transformed with it since my body was now running efficiently and my hormones were better balanced too! And you know what happens when you become a happier and more fun person? Your whole life changes!
Oh yes, believe me, the decision I made 2 years ago was the best decision of my life and I will NEVER EVER go back to how I was.
To transform your body and your health, be sure to join me for my next accountability and support group for superfood and fitness. There are programs for everyone from beginners to even the most conditioned athlete! CONTACT ME NOW to get started!
Lots of grunting, groaning and heavy breathing with the challenging strength workout this morning! Started a new 91 day fitness challenge today and I am determined to get ‘er done no matter what!
I remember what my last trainer told me…If it was easy, there would be nothing achieved! Working out to achieve fitness goals is supposed to be hard! ?. As a result of what she said, even though it is HARD, I push myself harder all the time…after all this work, I at least want to see and feel progress!
Lets do this!
Day 1 of 91 day program completed and feeling fired up for my Monday today!? Now to have an Icy and delicious superfood shake for recovery and then time to hit the shower! Hope you have an awesome Monday!
REMEMBER THIS…. “Choose Your Hard”… Working out and being dedicated to a program is HARD, but looking in the mirror and being unhappy with how you look and feel is also HARD. Which HARD do you pick?
Beware….exercise and healthy nutrition can lead to strength, flexibility, happiness, improved relationships, prevent disease, a longer and healthier life, better quality of life, a healthy weight, solid balance, reduced chance for injury and so much more! Who wouldn’t want all of these things in their life? Make the DECISION to choose the fitness and health “HARD” today and transform your life for the better!
Seriously! When I started on my health and fitness journey 2 years ago, I could not even do more than a couple push-ups on my knees or more than a few minutes of jumping jacks before being out of breath! It’s amazing what our body can achieve if we push it to do more each day. I guess that is the power of the compound effect. You may not think that each and every workout makes a difference in the long run, but in fact they DO! Every snack choice (an apple instead of a Hershey bar) and every decision we make towards a healthier choice (no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it is) every single day does matter!
Choose to be active instead of sitting on the couch. Choose to do a workout instead of wasting time scrolling social media. Choose a garden salad with roasted chicken instead of a burger at the restaurant. Just by making these better choices each and every day and adding superfoods to my diet, I have dropped 42 pounds and am feeling the strongest and healthiest that I have in my life! Now as a grandmother, I can call myself the MMA Granny and I have earned it! ?
The compound effect of each and every choice we make each and every day really does matter. Keep that in mind for today and as you think about what you will do to be healthier in the next month! We all mess up once in awhile since we are human after all, but if we mess up too often, that has a compound effect in the wrong direction!
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Push just a little outside the comfort zone to make progress. Make changes in your life too for personal growth. So many parallels to draw with fitness and life!!
Was a tough challenge for myself on an early Monday morning today. I pushed just a little more weight than usual and was barely finishing the sets. By pushing myself just a little beyond what I had been comfortable with is the way to make just a bit of progress so that I will be even stronger for the next workout. If I keep lifting the same weights and doing the same exercises, there would be a plateau and no further progress made.
The same can be said with our life in general. If we do the same things, the same way every single day, we will never grow as a person, or achieve something new or better. Some people may call this a “rut”.
A mentor of mine once said. “The definition of insanity is when you keep doing the same thing day in and day out, over and over again …and yet expecting there to be different results.” How true is that? Don’t stay in your safe and comfortable little corner (rut) or your life will be rather boring and all of the people who are exciting, fun and progressive will be leaving you in the dust!
I am going to take a hard look at my life today and see what I can change to bring me closer to the goals that I want. I know that if I keep doing things the same that I truly will not get anywhere! Time to march forward and do a few things I am scared of today! 🙂
What are you going to do today that scares the crap out of you…just so you can grow as a person? …REPLY to this post and tell me!
There is no feeling like the sense of accomplishment! This morning I officially completed a 30-day challenge that I set up for myself with an awesome core/MMA fighting program! This is just the way I LOVE fitness. Short challenges that push me and keep it totally interesting…and in the comfort of my own home… plus they are professionally developed to give an amazing full body fitness like I never imagined!
This type of core/fighting workout is a great cross-trainer for other types of fitness activities as well… especially court sports, running, horseback riding, hockey, football and so many more… the agility, core strength, leg and upper body strength that you can build without any equipment is astounding!
The beauty of the workout lineup I have available to me through this annual digital access program is that I never get bored, I can keep picking new challenges for myself with different professional programs and trainers as I go! When it is fun and interesting like this…with short term rewards…a person is far more likely to keep it up! I also keep a paper copy of the workout calendar beside my workout area, so that I check off each workout as I complete them… as you see here….
TRACKING workout completion every day builds motivation as you see what you are accomplishing!
As I am sitting here having my superfood shake post-workout this morning, I am thinking that a trip to the spa as a reward for completing this program is totally in order! (Ten Spa in Winnipeg is an amazing place!!) A spa treatment and a day of relaxation! Doesn’t that sound awesome? It feels great to have earned a reward like this… Now just have to decide what program to challenge myself with next! .. Hmmm 🙂
If you have never tried doing a plank, it may look rather easy, but this is deceiving. Holding this position takes a LOT of endurance in your abdominal muscles, back muscles and core. This morning, I was working on core workout and was having aching in my shoulders, so figured a checkup on my plank form was in order… this is the beauty of having photo and video on our phones… its easy to take shots of ourself doing positions and analyze it to see what we are doing wrong!
Reminding myself of proper plank form here and analyzing the mistakes I made, so I will share them with you
Hold elbows directly under shoulders and place wrists in line with elbows.(I need to avoiding placing my hands too close together, this creates internal rotation and can cause instability at shoulder joint)
Push body up into upper back and hold chin close to your neck (like you are holding a small apple between chin and throat). I need to to tilt my chin more towards my chest to reduce strain on my neck and allow me to more fully use my abs and pull my belly button in)
Hold abdominals tight, contracting them, squeeze your buttock muscles and thigh muscles at the same time while breathing regularly (don’t hold your breath)
Hold plank 20-30 seconds, rest then repeat (I was trying to hold the plank too long and was losing my form…I learned its better to do short planks several times, than trying to do one long plank with loss of form!)
Start doing plank using elbows and toes (drop to knees if needed) and progress to high plank when you feel you have developed the necessary strength
These are hard! …What do we need to do planks for?
Reducing back pain! Planks help back pain because they strengthen your core which helps to reduce back pain. It especially helps lower back pain and because there is minimal movement in the exercise, the chance of injury is very low.
Improve balance and posture! Having a strong core helps posture and balance. There are various types of plank exercises which work the core from all angles such as side planks as well.
Tone up core! Planks are good for working on the deeper core muscles that give a good foundation for tightening up those abs!
There are many benefits to doing work on our core which I wrote about in another post in the recent past…take a few minutes to check that out…I posted a video and tips to help you get started on building your core on that post.
For today, I am glad I took the time to learn about how to improve my plank form and will build on this moving forward. I typically do plank work almost every day, so having proper form is so important so that I do not injure myself! I hope that you found this helpful and will take some time to work on your core strength each day. Every 20-30 seconds you put in doing a plank will make a difference and will be worth it!
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I have to admit…the workout this morning was a killer one! 9 rounds of hopping, jumping, twisting, pushing, pulling…on the floor, then off the floor …yup, not an ounce of energy left by the time I was done this 38 minute workout!! ?. I guess a person can think of it this way…by pushing yourself to do something that is difficult and outside what would be considered “easy” that is how you grow and improve! Bonus…I guess it was worth pushing myself today …I will be stronger for the next time and I am building my self-discipline ‘muscle’ which will help me in many other areas of my life too! ??
Wait! …Isn’t it just easier to stay in my comfort zone?
NO!
Each of us has our own “comfort zone” which is far more than a describable place. It is a mental, emotional and behavioral place that kind of is all about the routine of our daily life. When we are in our “comfort zone”, it suggests the place of safety, familiarity and security for us. Being in this place has us comfy and calm, has minimal emotional change, and even is somewhat free of worry. People create a comfort zone at times to have a healthy place to go to relax and enjoy life, which is fine. BUT, stepping out of our comfort zone is what it will take to actually change, grow and transform our lives!!
Experiencing some stress here and there and facing fears is actually a good thing. If all you ever do is strive to stay wrapped up in your little cocoon, keeping warm and cozy, you may be missing out on quite a lot in life. Perhaps you will have little to no new experiences, minimal challenges, and take no risks.
Taking no risks and not facing fears = ZERO progress in life!
Be sure to take time to look at the big picture in your life. It is important to look at every area when thinking about this concept… such as business, personal, family, health, fitness, financial, emotional etc… If you have a hard time stepping out of your comfort zone you may experience difficulty making changes, growing in life, and ultimately, improving your life in amazing ways! Remember, growing as an individual actually helps you to keep up with the times, define your passions and to help give your life personal meaning.
In simple terms, what we fear most about challenging ourselves is that we may fail and/or get hurt in the process. IF we let this stop us, we will never achieve anything! Consider this one…the majority of us totally have the ability to rise up, face fears, overcome obstacles and totally succeed in accomplishing new and challenging things! We just have to WANT to!
Be open minded, face your fears and for heaven’s sake…life live to the fullest by taking chances, challenging yourself and making progress and growing as a person…you will be so HAPPY that you did !!
PS. If you have trouble moving out of your comfort zone due to extreme fear, it may be time to recruit the help of a coach to help you to overcome those fears… life is too short! Time to LIVE!
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Getting up early in the morning some days can be pretty rough (I was never a morning person)… today was one of those days. Hit the snooze button too many times, really had to push myself to get up as my whole body was feeling heavy and actually quite lazy.
Once I came downstairs and had a look at what workout was on the menu for today, I actually groaned. It was MMA power sculpt which is a really hard one and my least favorite of them all. Eugh!
I was close to saying “to heck with it, I will do it later”, when I realized that “later” likely won’t happen. Life gets busy in the day and time slips away! I took a deep breath and just made myself do it! It was grueling and difficult for me today. I got tired faster than usual and was sweating a LOT! Was very happy when it was over and felt a sense of real accomplishment that I was able to make myself do something I really didn’t want to do…because it was good for me.
I had to remind myself this morning, of the reasons that I started doing early morning workouts in the first place! The benefits of early morning workouts are incredible! Even if you are not a morning person, keep an open mind, because I felt it was impossible for me to become an early riser at one time, but once I felt the difference, I was hooked!!
The Benefits of Morning Exercise are so worth the drag…here is why…
ROAST THAT METABOLISM for the whole day!
By getting up and doing a workout first thing in the morning, the metabolism gets kicked up and makes you burn more calories and use the food you eat to replenish body and for energy instead of storing it as fat!
NO INTERRUPTIONS!
By getting up early in the morning before anyone else in the house is awake, it prevents the potential for interruptions and allows you to be more consistent with your workout schedule. When I used to do evening workouts, there was always something in “life” interfering with my schedule causing workouts to go way too late or being missed entirely!
IMPROVE NATURAL ENERGY
By getting up and doing an early morning workout, it jacks up our energy to start our day! Morning exercise improves focus and mental abilities the whole day! By working out in the morning, my mind is totally ready to take on whatever tasks are lined up for the day! Exercise has proven to give even more mental alertness and prolonged energy than caffeine!
SELF DISCIPLINE
I talked about self-discipline the other day and just like building on any other habit, success in achieving new habits totally build up your self-discipline “muscle” AHA!! Implementing a morning workout routine will help to increase self-discipline in many other areas of your life too then!
SLEEP BENEFITS
Morning workouts have been shown to improve sleep quality. By working out in the morning, our bodies will have the healthy tiredness that we are supposed to have at the right time (bedtime!). Evening exercise can potentially have the opposite effect because of adrenaline release during exercise and may interfere with sleep quality. Another AHA for me since my sleep used to be much worse with evening workouts!
BE SUCCESSFUL
By developing a healthy habit such as morning exercise that increases metabolism, allows you to be consistent with your workout plan, improves energy and focus through the day for other life activities, builds your self-discipline ‘muscle’ and improves your sleep….you can only IMAGINE how much easier it will be to reach your fitness and health goals!! By making yourself (yes, dragging your butt) get up in the mornings, and making the sacrifice to do so…makes it more likely that you will stick to a healthier eating plan through the day as well. ….Rather than eating too many calories and having the mindset of … “oh, i will just burn this food off later” (as in…with an evening workout…that may not happen)
HATE MORNINGS?
I used to hate mornings too! I had to really make a solid decision for change and use self-discipline and determination to keep it moving forward. I used a few rules for myself to help me to implement this new habit. 1. I put the alarm far away so that I would have to get up to turn it off; 2. I make myself get up right away before my mind can stop me 3. I would set my workout clothes the night before to be prepared to get moving; 4. I have 500 mL water as soon as I get up, then have a pre-workout energizer shot and GO 5. Found an exercise program that I enjoy so that it is not a ‘chore’ and is only 30-45 minutes. 6. Remind myself of all the benefits that I get from morning workouts on a regular basis
OK…so if you are not currently a morning exerciser, then I challenge you to consider it. Have a look at the benefits above and seriously ask yourself if you would like to have those benefits in your life? Is it worth dragging your BUTT out of bed each and every morning? Give it a try and pre-schedule some home workouts in for a full week, then decide if it is worth the drag. I believe you will be amazed and will do it again…and again…and again…
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Being fit is far more than just big muscles and strength! It’s about being able to move, twist, jump, maneuver, run…and more …all without getting injured! The MMA fighters need to do more than just fight to keep up their fitness level, and so should we?. My agility power and a core workout were done this morning with sweat pouring and after it was over I was all smiles because it felt so great! Was a tough workout though!
As we get older, meaning over 40 and beyond, it is incredibly important to work on strength and agility training to maintain our strength, balance, coordination and joint range of motion. Walking is good exercise, but it really is not enough since it doesn’t work the essential muscles or the mind in the ways that agility training does..
Reaction time and coordination slow down as we get older, but we can fight that with only 10-15 min of practise every day. Agility skills help us to react faster, reduce risk for falls and this type of exercises puts pressure on the muscles and bones which help to keep them healthy and strong. With agility training, our posture improves, giving more upright walking stance and confidence and have less discomfort in our back.
The benefits of Tai Chi, yoga, Tai Cheng (take a minute to watch the video) with their slow controlled movements also really help to increase range of motion, balance, co-ordination and flexibility. If you don’t have time or feel comfortable going out to a class for this type of exercises, we have this type of program available on DVD or digital streaming and it can be used at home.
Dancing is also another good exercise to improve agility. It can be very fun and social activity as well, which is a bonus.. Dancing benefits not only our physical agility, but also our mental agility and reduces cognitive decline (BONUS!). There are many kind of dance available and if you would rather dance at home, there are country dance programs that can be done at home as well!
Remember as a kid we used to play hop scotch? Just that little bit of hopping, balancing on one leg really trains the brain and builds agility. Consider playing with your kids or grandkids and reminisce about those fun times and enjoy!! It will feel more like fun than exercise for sure. This morning with my workout (check out my current core blasting fighting program!), we did something called “Hop Squatch” which is very similar to hop scotch, but only with squats between single foot hops! LOL
By being consistent each and every day and working on agility to some degree, we have better posture, strength, balance and even energy! This will make us even more active in other activities, promote weight loss and a higher level of positivity and self-confidence. It is definitely worth working on and no matter what your age, there are exercises that will help! For more assistance finding a program to suit you, contact your local senior services, or contact me about some effective and fun home based programs that will help you out.
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