ELIMINATING EXCUSES | fitness

It’s been an honor to serve you over the last year in your quest to DO SOMETHIN’. Now, I believe that it is time for me to continue my quest with more focus in other areas. This is the last post for eliminating excuses fitness. However, I will continue to respond to questions and comments while I own this domain name.

I thank you for your support. Special thanks to Shawnelle Sanford, Dana Baynard, Everton Edmondson, Kristen Nicole and Emile Cambry for their unwavering support. Lastly, I’d like to thank Surya Yalamanchili for helping me bring my vision of eliminating excuses fitness to life.

So my final words are:
Always pursue your goals and stay the course; be bold and confident. Know that adversity only sweetens the taste of victory. This journey is not just about fitness; it’s about fulfilling your purpose. DO SOMETHIN’!

Here’s another superset routine for you: triceps, traps and calves. Remember that as you superset, you don’t want to take excessive rest as you alternate between a pair of exercises. Keep it moving so that you keep the intensity level moderate/high. There will be time to rest before you move on to the next pair of exercises. As always, warm-up and stretch before getting started. Throughout the workout, stay hydrated too.

skullcrushers - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
shrugs - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
rest 60 seconds

tricep kickbacks - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
trap flies
rest 60 seconds

dips - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
calf raises - 3 x 30-45 reps/set. Remember that each set of calf raises includes the standard calf raise, calf raises with feet turned outward and calf raises with feet turned inward. So 30 reps is 10 reps on each of the three versions and 45 reps is 15 reps on each of the three versions. If needed, review the video and the post to refresh your memory.

DO SOMETHIN’!

Another week is here. Some of you might be dreading another day of classes that bore you; or you might be dreading another day of a job that is not fulfilling. Let’s focus on the positive and be confident regardless of the current situation. Believe that you will be attentive in class, and believe that you are in route to getting the grade you want. Know that you have the skills to excel at your current job and know that a better job is on the horizon.

After a long day of work or school, dig deep and find the energy to workout. It doesn’t matter how many days it’s been since your last work out; and it doesn’t matter how many pounds you are from your desired weight. You have it in you!! A little confidence will go a long ways. We have to take life one day at a time while being confident each day that we will succeed. Look at what confidence did for the NY Giants in Superbowl 42.

DO SOMETHIN’!

Before I get into this post, I have a special announcement. One of my sisters just bought a computer, so I am excited to welcome her to the 21st century!!

Now to the business - some of the benefits of protein:

Inclusion of up to 6 grams of protein during training or racing lasting greater than 3 hours may help enhance endurance performance by sparing muscle glycogen as well as increasing fluid uptake. One study demonstrated nearly a 25 percent increase in cycling endurance when an hourly rate of 6 grams of protein was consumed in a 7.75% carbohydrate solution. Another study discovered that athletes utilizing protein during training had 20% more endurance during their second workout of the day.**

DO SOMETHIN’!

** information source: Competitor texas magazine (CompetitorTX.com), January 2008 vol.05 #1, pg. 12, article by Kimberly Mueller, M.S., R.D.

Since I am traveling this week, there will be no posts.

For those of you that have made new year’s resolutions to improve your fitness, how are things going so far? Are you on track? Off track? Big ups to those of you on track!! If you are off track, do not be too hard on yourself. Ask yourself the tough questions that will help you get to the root cause of what’s getting in your way. Then, eliminate your excuses and DO SOMETHIN’!

In virtually all of my posts, I’ve spent time talking about how to improve oneself via fitness and nutrition. I hope that you have found this information useful and motivating (if you have not, that’s ok because the posts are useful and motivating to me )

Today, I want to share some words on self-appreciation. I share health and fitness information to help us improve on where we are currently. But I am not stating or implying that our current overall physical state is bad. In most if not all aspects of life, we will be continually evolving. Our current state is just that: our current state. Let’s be thankful for where we are because it could be different; it could be worse. I encourage you to acknowledge that your current state has its merits. In you current state, you are physically and mentally capable of doing what it takes to make improvements. Right now you have the power to DO SOMETHIN’! That’s a blessing.

Make the most of today and be good to yourself.

In addition to eating a variety of fruits and vegetable everday, it is important to make sure that each meal is the right portion size for you. Rather than eating to fill completely your stomach, think in terms of what your body needs for normal functioning and how much food your body can process at one time. Overeating can lead to poor digestion of your food and other health issues. What I’ve found to work best for me is to eat about 4 - 6 times per day with each meal consisting of portions of foods that are about the size of my fist. So I am eating about the same amount or slightly more than I used to when I had 3 meals per day. By spreading this amount of food over more meals (not all meals being the same size as in total calories), I am not sluggish from eating a lot in one sitting (as in no more post meal ITIS); and I feel that more food digests more smoothly. Here’s a tip from Competitor texas health and fitness magazine on portion control:

For the average active person, the size of a small fist represents an appropriate portion of food. At main meals, aim to eat a fistful of starch (such as legumes, potatoes, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole grain cereal or a slice of bread) along with a fistful of protein (low-fat yogurt, milk or cottage cheese, soy foods, flank/round/sirloin steak, skinless poultry or fish) and two fistfuls of color (fruits and vegetables).**

For more details on what the right portion size is for you based on your caloric needs, I suggest that you check with your physician or dietician.

DO SOMETHIN’!

** information source: Competitor texas magazine (CompetitorTX.com), January 2008 vol.05 #1, pg. 12, article by Kimberly Mueller, M.S., R.D.

Happy New Year! I hope that you enjoyed the holidays and that ‘08 is off to a strong start for you.

As we look to keep our nutrition on point, here is a tip from Competitor texas health and fitness magazine:

Half of every meal should have a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables, which have been shown to be loaded with antioxidants that help protect our immune cells from harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals and ultimately protect against disease. Norwegian and American scientists recently complied a list of the foods with the highest antioxidant content per serving. The list included blackberries, strawberries, artichokes, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries and grape juice.**

Now that you have the facts, DO SOMETHIN’!

** information source: Competitor texas magazine (CompetitorTX.com), January 2008 vol.05 #1, pg. 12, article by Kimberly Mueller, M.S., R.D.

If you are like me, this time of year leads to a great deal of reflection on the entire year. I hope your 2007 was full of growth and development spiritually, personally and professionally. In the areas that may have been challenging, I expect you have thoughts and plans on how to improve. If you are thinking of waiting to January 1, 2008 to act on your plans and ideas, I encourage you to act on your plans today! Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, neither is all of today. Make the most of today. You have the power, so DO SOMETHIN’!

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2008!

Last week, I explained how to superset in order to intensify your workout routine. Today, I have a shoulder routine that supersets with quads. This one is going to feel so good; you’ll see. Remember that as you superset, you don’t want to take excessive rest as you alternate between a pair of shoulder and quads exercises. There will be time to rest before you move on to the next pair of exercises. As always, warm-up and stretch before getting started. Throughout the workout, stay hydrated too.

arnold press - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
jumping squats - 3 x 10-20 reps/set
rest 75 seconds

side raises - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
lunges - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
rest 75 seconds

front raises - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
seated leg lifts 3 x 15-25 reps/set
rest 75 seconds

sitting jacks - 3 x 15-25 reps/set
&
wall sits - 3 x 45-60 seconds/set

DO SOMETHIN’!