health and wellness

A fantastic 10 minute Pilates video for full body flexibility that will stretch you out, open you up, and leave you much more relaxed. Viewed 600,000 times and voted 5 stars.

Building Beautiful Calve Muscles

Many people find it extremely difficult to develop their calve muscles and this is primarily due to the fact that daily walking has toughened these muscles to the point where it takes exceptionally intense training to force them to grow. Before we get started, let’s take a look at their anatomy for better understanding on how to get the results we are looking for.

Calve Muscles Anatomy

There are two primary muscle groups involved in the lower back of the legs - the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The soleus is a wide, flat muscle that lies beneath the heart shaped gastrocnemius. Both muscles contract to extend the feet and toes, but the soleus can only fully contract when the leg is bent to at least a 30 degree angle. Then there is the tibialis anterior muscle, which runs up the front of your shin and contracts to pull your foot and toes upward.

Calf muscles are dense and can withstand more frequent training, and in order to achieve results, you should perform the below exercises three to four times per week, working your way up to three sets of fifteen to twenty repetitions. I recommend that all beginners perform these exercises in its basic form by keeping your toes pointed straight ahead. As you progress, and can add the various positions to your routine by turning your toes in and out to get a better, overall workout to the calve development. Keep in mind that in addition to these exercises, any running or bicycling will not only provide aerobic benefits, but will greatly enhancement the developing of your calves too. Just look at any avid cyclist or runner… they are known to have beautiful calves!

Standing Calf Raises 

Start- Place your shoulders securely under the pads of the standing calf machine. Next, situate the balls of your feet firmly on the platform while ensuring that the back of your feet are all the way off the edge of the platform. Your feet should be about six to eight inches apart with your toes pointing straight ahead.

Exercise- Lift up on your toes as high as you can, flexing the calves and holding the contraction for a pause, and then slowly lowering back down into a deep stretch at the very bottom of the movement. Pause at the bottom, and then return to start position.  Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Make sure to hold in your stomach muscles while at the same time, keeping your back from arching. Stay stable throughout the movement. Make sure your calves are doing all the work here by avoiding assistance with the use of shoulders/hands. Be sure to keep your knees from bending. 

Tips- Remember to inhale at the bottom, and exhale at the top. The key to great form is getting the full range of motion and flexing at the top, and lowing deep at the bottom. Be sure to pause in order to contract the muscles. You may also point your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Remember to add more weight to the machine as you progress since calves require heavier loads to force them to respond. You can also preform these one leg at a time for better concentration, and in preventing one calve from becoming stronger over the other.

Dumbbell Calf Raises

Start- In the standing position and keeping your body straight, hold dumbbells at your side, with your feet about five or six inches apart to maintain balance. 

Exercise- Slowly rise up on the balls of your feet as high as you can, pause at the top, and slowly raise back down to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Maintain your balance throughout the movement. If you prefer you can do one leg at a time while holding on to a support.  Do not bend your knees.

Tips- Remember to inhale at the bottom, and exhale at the top. You can also perform these on a step or high enough platform to get a really deep stretch on the calves at the bottom of the movement. This is a more advanced movement, but well worth it. Additionally, you can perform these using a barbell instead of dumbbells.

Seated Calf Press

Start- The focus here is on the soleus muscles, since your legs are being bent in order to preform this movement. Place the balls of your feet on the platform and secure your knees under the pads. Keeping your toes pointed straight, remove the stopper and fully extend your calves by letting your heels come down as far as you can.

Exercise- Using only your calves, drive the weight by coming up on your toes until your calves are fully flexed. Pause briefly at the top and then lower your heels back down as far as possible. Repeat the movement until you have reached muscular failure for that set, and then put the stopper back in place.

Caution- Pay attention not to pull on the handles with your hands in an attempt to assist the movement. You want to make sure the calves are doing all the work here. Avoid rocking your body and using momentum to lift the weight. The key is to get full range of motion. This is a very important exercise you need to master for the soleus.

Tips- You may want to use a spotter during this exercise since it is best to reach muscular failure for each set. A spotter can help you place the stopper back in place as soon as you reach failure. You can also position your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Be sure to inhale on the way down, and exhale on the way up. You should always add more weight to the machine as you progress.

Leg Press Calf Raises

Start- Getting situated in the leg press machine, firmly place both feet on the large plate about six to eight inches apart. Slide down one foot at a time until both the balls of your feet are firmly placed at the bottom of the plate; ensure that both the back of your feet are all the way off the edge of the plate and you are in a deep stretch at the bottom. Remove the lever out of the catcher.

Exercise- Begin to lift the plate upward from the balls of your feet all the way up until your calve muscles are fully contracted; hold for a pause, and then return to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. Immediately replace the lever back in the catcher.

Caution- Be sure to avoid bending your knees. You only want the calves to be doing the exercise. Be sure to use full range of motion here as this is vital. Ensure that your calves are fully flexed at the top of the movement, then pausing, and that you get a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement.

Tips- You may want to use a spotter during this exercise especially if you are attempting to reach muscular failure. A spotter can assist you while you are placing the lever back in the catcher. You can also position your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Be sure to inhale on the way down, and exhale on the way up. You should always add more weight to the machine as you progress. You can also perform these one leg at a time for better concentration, and in preventing from one leg becoming stronger over the other.

Donkey Calf Raises

Start- These can be performed by bending over at your torso while someone else is sitting on your lower back for added weight. You may also perform these on a donkey calf machine at a gym.

Exercise- Simply lift up from the balls of your feet as high as you can, contracting the muscles, and then returning back down to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- If you have any lower back problems, you should replace this exercise by simply doing these on a donkey calf machine at a gym where you will be upright instead. Remember never to bend at the knees while performing calve exercises, but never “lock out the knees” in any exercise either.

Tips- To get a more advanced workout, you can choose to perform these on a block or platform to allow a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement.

           -written by Angela Doss

This is a must see video for anyone looking for a great full biceps workout.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the best way to permanently lose belly fat is through the consistency basis of daily exercise and a proper diet. Researchers offer a plethora of data to support that the fastest way to burn off the fat from your abdominal area is through a combination of weight-training and aerobic exercise. This is a common mistake, and often times, a misconception among many women who don’t realize the importance of incorporating regular weight-training into their fitness program.

To achieve a killer six-pack, the truth is, that it’s virtually everything to do with low body fat. You can do sit-ups until the cows come home, but this will not reward you with the results you are looking for. Let me explain. In order to lose belly fat, you must exercise to burn the fat from all over the body since you can not spot reduce. Your body, when placed under a reduction of calories, is designed to lose weight from all areas of the body - not just the one area or two of your choice. It doesn’t work that way. Even if it’s apparent that you’re holding more body fat in your belly, hips, and thighs area, it still does not change this fact. And while exercising your abs will surely strengthen your abdominal muscles and improve the ability to better hold in your abs, it will not cause a reduction in belly fat in and of itself. Therefore, if you want to lose weight from any area of the body, you must exercise regularly to obtain a low body fat composition.

You will learn that it does not require an excessive amount of ab training to achieve your goals, in fact, it will only worsen your chance since over-training will do nothing but tear down your muscles. As I have mentioned in previous posts, muscle replaces the body fat that was once there. When reviewing Mike Geary’s strategic knowledge on how to get a six pack  - a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, specializing in body fat reduction strategies and who holds a Bachelors of Science degree - can clearly shed some light on the system he uses that does work for both men and women.

The Secrets To Losing Belly Fat

The secrets to really losing belly fat, doesn’t hold precedence to what you are doing inside a gym but rather in what you are doing inside the kitchen. Exercising is a key component but the culprit is in the kitchen. You see, we all have ab muscles we were born with. The problem is that they will never be seen until the layer of fat is stripped from them. By simply eating less, and choosing a healthier, higher quality of foods -  is where the magic lies.

Other important tips I have stated in the past, are in making sure you eat often - 4 to 6 times per day, with smaller meal portions. This is key to revving up your metabolism, and in reducing body fat. If you constantly keep your furnace burning, you will lose the belly fat whether you are 20 or 60 years old…guaranteed. 

         -written by Angela Doss

This is a wonderful pilates video - viewed over 500,000 times, rated 5 stars

Once you have mastered a circuit training routine, (where you work the entire body in one workout with very little resting periods) and your muscles are well conditioned, it is likely you will want to try other routines to further your growth. The one I usually follow is called a Split Routine. Using a split routine allows you to gain more strength by splitting up your workouts in order to increase the work load for each muscle group. It is important to gain more strength and build muscle because the more muscle you build, the less body fat you will have. This is not suggesting you will become huge because that is not possible - at least for women - without the use of drugs. There are several things you will want to determine before getting started:

Starting A Split Routine Workout

The first step is to determine how many days per week you plan on working out. The ideal number of times you workout would be from 4 to 6 days per week. It is important that you choose a schedule that you can stay consistent with because if you plan too hectic a schedule, chances are you are not going to be able to stick with it long term. This will only cause an unbalanced workout where certain body parts will be trained more often than the others due to missed workouts. We all have a busy schedule, and occasionally we will miss workouts, but it is better to choose a routine where consistency is most likely to be achieved. After all, like everything else in life, consistency is key.

Split Routines

An example of a split routine is in training the whole body over the course of a two or three day period (depending on the schedule you choose). For instance, if you plan on training 4 days per week, you would complete a full body workout in two days with the same muscles groups being trained twice in that one week period. Here is an example:

Day 1 - chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs
Day 2 - rest, no weight training
Day 3 - legs, calves, back, abs
Day 4 - rest, no weight training

On Day 5, you would repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 4 workouts per week with a two day rest. During this routine it is important to rest every other day in order for your muscles to grow and recuperate. Your workout would then look like this:

Monday….Wednesday….Friday….Sunday -  a 4 day per week workout.

This is just to get you started to the introduction of such a routine, but by all means, is not set in stone. Again, your workouts should be conducive to your weekly schedule for optimal consistency. You can play around with this routine if the days above do not work out for you. Perhaps working out over the weekend doesn’t work…no prob! Just arrange the workout schedule that will ensure every muscle group is being trained twice per week. This means that you will divide them in half. You can start Day 1 on any day of the week that works best to your schedule, but the above is an example of what a split routine could look like.

An example of a split routine over a 6 day period might look like this:

Day 1 - chest, back, abs
Day 2 - legs, calves
Day 3 - shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs

On Day 4, you would either rest or repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 6 workouts per week with a one day rest. During this routine since you are working the split over a longer period, you will only need to rest one day.  If you notice, you are still working every muscle group twice per week and the muscle groups are still being divided in half, hence the name “split” routine. Therefore, your workout would look like this:

Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Thursday….Friday….Saturday

Or it could look like this:

Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Friday….Saturday….Sunday

Your workouts should never exceed an hour and usually can be achieved in 45 minutes. You should use a repetition range of between 8 to 12 reps with rests between sets of approximately 90 minutes to 2 minutes. Legs may require you to rest 2 and a half minutes between sets since they exert more energy from the body.

I do advise that you incorporate cardio workouts within your week as this will super charge your weight loss endeavors.

There you have it! This is a good start, and later, I will be talking more about other kinds of split routines as well as different exercises to incorporate as we progress. Good luck, and remember to breathe properly throughout the movements - remember to be kind to your joints never locking them out or jerking through the movements. If ever you have questions, feel free to leave your comments as I will always be sure to respond.

      -written by Angela Doss

This is a 2 minute ab workout as a nice change to your regular routine.

Many women don’t see the point in exercising their chest but actually, it’s very important to build a strong chest. As we age, our muscles become weaker and everything begins to droop. By building the pectoral muscles, it actually produces a natural lift to our chest! Below is a list of chest exercises that should be included in your fitness program. Choose to perform a few at a time and be sure to mix and change them up every four to six weeks.

Dumbbell Ball Press

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest is lying firmly on the ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand close to each side at your chest. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest. 

Exercise- Slowly raise the dumbbells all the way up in the air until both arms are fully extended, and then lower them back down to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Keep a fluid, steady flow of motion, and be cautious not to rock or lower the dumbbells in a crooked, or lopsided manner. Be sure to breathe, inhaling on the way down and exhaling on the way up. Never lock out your elbows at the top of the move.

Tips- Make sure you use full range of motion and lower the dumbbells all the way down until they nearly reach the sides of your chest. This is an excellent exercise for building strength to the core of your chest. These can also be performed on a flat bench.

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest is lying firmly on the ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with both arms extended out from the body while palms face each other. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your ribcage until both dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral (chest) muscles together, and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Keep a fluid, steady flow of motion, and be cautious not to rock or allow one side to move faster than the other. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.

Tips- Be sure to reach full range of motion. This exercise should emulate hugging a tree, and it is like a big semi-circular movement. Remember that the palms are always facing each other throughout the movement. This exercise will give you a nice cleavage to your chest. This exercise can also be performed on a flat bench.

Incline Bench Press

Start- Begin by lying on an incline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell (or you can use a barbell) in each hand keeping palms faced away from you. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to give support to your neck and spine. The dumbbells should be placed at shoulder level, and close in to the body.

Exercise- Lift both arms up until they are fully extended, and then lower them back down to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be careful not to lock out your elbows once your arms are fully extended. Always remember to be kind to your joints! Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t move your head around; just keep it steady and centered throughout the movement. Don’t arch your back.

Tips- Make sure your chest and arms are doing the work. Use full range of motion for best results. You can also perform these on a stability ball but this time you will want to lower your hips close to the floor in order to create an incline to your upper body. Incline presses will work the upper chest more. This is an excellent exercise to help build the upper chest muscles.

Incline Bench Fly

Start- Begin by lying on an incline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and with both hands extended out from the body keeping your palms facing each other. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to give support to your neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your rib cage until both dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral muscles (chest) together and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your head steady and centered on the bench. Don’t arch your back. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t let one side move out of sync from the other. This exercise should emulate hugging a tree. Remember this is like a big semi-circular movement.

Tips- Use full range of motion making sure your chest and arms are doing the work here. Remember that your palms will be facing each other throughout the movement. You can also perform these on a stability ball. You will want to lower your hips close to the floor in order to create an incline to your upper body. This is an excellent exercise that really helps to shape and define the chest giving you a beautiful cleavage.

Decline Bench Press

Start- Begin by lying on a decline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand (you can also use a barbell) with arms full extended and palms are facing away from the body. Lay your head down comfortably on the bench in order to support your neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin by bending at the elbows and lower the dumbbells all the way down to your lower chest area and then returning to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to use your chest and arms to perform the movement. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t lock out your elbows at the top of the move and remember to keep your head steady and centered on the bench.

Tips- These can also be performed on a stability ball by rolling slightly back on the ball in order to create a decline to your upper body. These are a wonderful exercise that lifts your chest by building the pectoral muscles underneath to create a lift to your entire chest.

Decline Dumbbell Fly

Start- Begin by lying on a decline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with both hands extended out from the body and palms facing each other. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to support the neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your lower rib cage area until the dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral (chest) muscles together and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your head centered and on the bench. Inhale coming down, exhale coming up. Don’t arch your back and remember to use full range of motion. Don’t let one side move out of sync from the other.

Tips- Remember that this exercise emulates hugging a tree. It’s like a big semi-circular movement.

Knee Push Up

Start- Getting on all fours, bend at the knees keeping your feet together. Your arms are fully extended and your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders. 

Exercise- Lower your upper body all the way down where your face is nearly touching the floor. Pause and raise yourself back up to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I like to work these to failure.

Caution- If your wrists bother you, you can move them more forward. Keep your abs in tight and your back flat throughout the entire movement. Keep your body in alignment and your head straight but looking at the ground. Inhale going down, exhale going up.

Tips- Once you can do a fair amount of these without too much of a struggle, do the regular push ups as illustrated below.

Push Up

Start- Begin in the standard push up position with feet together and extended straight out behind you. Your arms are fully extended and your back should be flat, and your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders.

Exercise- Slowly lower your body by bending at the elbows until your whole body is parallel and low to the floor, and then raise yourself and return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. These are best when worked to failure.

Caution- Be sure to keep your abs in tight and keep your back flat throughout the entire movement. Keep your body in alignment and your head straight but looking at the ground. Inhale going down, inhale going up.

Tips- These are very hard to do, and you won’t get many in the beginning, but with time and consistency, you will be able to do more each time. Push Ups are very effective, and I highly recommend to master these.

Pullovers

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest are lying firmly on the ball. Cusp together with both hands at one end of a dumbbell; your arms extended above you. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest.

Exercise- Slowly lower the dumbbell directly over and behind your head. Pause and feel the stretch in your rib cage and return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your arms fully extended throughout the entire movement. Inhale going down, exhale going back up. Keep your lower back relaxed making sure the chest muscles are doing the work.

Tips- you can also do this exercise performed on a flat bench.

      -written by Angela Doss

Understanding Your Metabolism 

Your metabolism plays a crucial role toward your weight loss goals. Metabolism is the rate at which the body burns the calories we eat for food. Therefore, in order to lose weight effectively, the body needs to burn more calories than it is taking in. Weight loss occurs when the body does not have enough calories coming in to maintain the daily activities being performed. For the person wanting to lose weight, this lack of calories is a good thing.

If the body normally burns 2500 calories per day and you eat 1500 calories per day, that will cause a negative of 1000 calories per day adding up to a loss of 2 pounds per week. Fantastic! But many people want to eat more than 1500 calories per day, so that is where an increase in metabolism comes in. You need to teach your body that it needs more calories for energy and the only way to do that is to break its habit and to trick your body into responding to new demands.

It takes about 21 days for the body to break a habit. If you exercised for 21 days, just enough to burn an extra 200 calories a day or 1000 calories a week, over those 21 days, your metabolism would speed up during and even after exercise, and your body would learn that it would need these extra 1000 calories each week; then your body would burn just enough to keep you going. The weight loss would move from 2 pounds to 4 pounds a week.

But don’t take stock in the fact that weight loss levels are so high for long. Because the less the body weighs, the less calories it will need to function and perform, and the cycle will start again. A small drop in caloric intake and a small increase in exercise, and boom, the scale is moving again in your favorite direction.

You see, the body is a well oiled machine. It will only burn the amount of calories it needs to function, and any surplus of calories put in, the body will store as fat for later use should the body need to tap in to those reserves. Your body is designed to keep you alive, and the body loves nothing more than to have fat reserves in case of famine. Therefore, in order to lose weight, you need to trick the body into responding to what you want it to do.

Weight loss is a science, and it can be fairly simple if you are patient and you understand how the body survives and operates. Losing weight is not a short term affair, and once you take the time to learn what your caloric needs are, you will be able to teach your body some new metabolic tricks. There is no sense in taking a ton of diet pills that swear to rev up your metabolism, as they will not produce permanent weight loss, and will do nothing but cause nervousness to your heart rate.

Estimating Your Basal Metabolic Rate

In order to lose weight you need to get to know what your caloric intake should be. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a measure of how fast your metabolism is running. It’s the number of calories you burn to keep your heart beating, to keep you breathing, to keep your muscles alive, to keep you functioning etc. It’s the number of calories your body needs while at rest. The guide is below:

Women: 661 + (4.38 x weight in pounds) + (4.33 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

Men: 667 + (6.24 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.9 x age) = BMR

To estimate the TOTAL number of calories your body needs per day, multiply your BMR by the appropriate number below:

• 0.9 if you are sedentary and have yo-yo or crash dieted frequently during the past two years.
• 1.2 if you are sedentary.
• 1.3 if you are moderately active (exercise 3 days per week or equivalent).
• 1.7 if you are very active.
• 1.9 if you are extremely active.

This is only a way to estimate caloric expenditure.

*note: there are 3500 calories in one pound. Therefore, you would need to expend 3500 calories in order to lose one pound.

Later, we will apply this information and take it a step further to look at ways to help speed up your metabolism and attain your weight loss goals!

             -written by Angela Doss

Protein Shakes are a great meal replacement alternative for anyone on the go or in need of a quick healthy meal. They are most desired right after a good workout because they are extremely nutritious, low in both calories and fat content, delicious, quick and easy to make, or great when you’re just feeling too tired to cook a full-blown meal. It is why protein shakes have become a part of every one’s daily diet. With just a blender, the ingredients and options are endless. One of the best benefits in drinking protein shakes is that you can add a tablespoon of healthy nutrients such as flax seed, brewers yeast, fiber, bran, wheat germ or anything else you want. But however you chose to make them, protein shakes are the way to go when you want a quick, low calorie, high nutritious meal. You can use plain non-fat yogurt, whipped cream or just plain water. Choosing protein powders aren’t difficult as there are a wide variety available, and they are found at health food stores and most gyms. As a rule of thumb, however, choosing whey protein is usually the best in quality and nutrition, and I usually chose one with little carbohydrates being that you’ll likely get a fair amount of carbs from the fruits and yogurt. Below are some recipes to get you started, but feel free to get creative and have fun with making your shakes.

Mocha Shake:

(Lean Mass Gain)

• 6 oz. water
• 4 ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz.. coffee*
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• *You may use 12 oz. coffee and no water for an extra pre-workout or morning kick!

Frozen Chocolate Banana

(Lean Mass Gain)

• 12 oz. Water
• 4 to 5 ice cubes
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder

German Chocolate Cake:

(Lean Mass Gain)

• 12 oz. water
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cream of coconut
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder

Tangerine Cream:

(Maximum Fat Loss or Lean Mass Gain)

• 12 oz. Tangerine Diet Rite
• 4 Ice Cubes
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 to 3 scoops vanilla protein powder

Root Beer Float:

(Maximum Fat Loss or Lean Mass Gain)

• 1 can Diet A&W Root Beer
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 to 3 scoops vanilla protein powder

Pineapple Blast:

(Lean Mass Gain Fat Burning and off Season)

• 4 ice cubes
• 12 oz. water
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

Pina Colada Passion

(Lean Mass Gain Fat Burning and Off Season)

• 12 oz. water
• 4 ice cubes
• 3 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1/3 cup Pineapple chunks
• 2 tsp. Coconut extract

Ultra Oatmeal: (mix ingredients after cooking)

(Lean Mass Gain Fat Burning and Off Season)

• 1 serving cooked plain oatmeal (1/2 cup precooked)
• 1 to 1½ scoops vanilla protein powder

Power Fudge: Vanilla or Chocolate

(Lean Mass Gain Fat Burning)

• 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder
• 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• *mix together in a bowl until ingredients reach consistency of cake icing. May be refrigerated or frozen.

Peanut Butter Muscle Balls:

(Lean Mass Gain Off Season)

• Follow directions for power fudge. Form peanut butter into small balls slightly larger than a marble. Coat with Power Fudge by rolling together to create a chocolate covered peanut butter ball. Refrigerate for 2 hours. May be frozen to speed up process. 1 to 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• 1 banana
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Chocolate Strawberry Blast

• 1 to 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• 8 strawberries
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Vanilla Banana Creamy

• 1 to 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water or whole (or 2%) milk
• 6 ice cubes
• 1 banana
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Raspberry Chocolate Thick

• 1 to 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of whole (or 2%) milk
• 6 ice cubes
• 8 raspberries
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Drink or eat with a spoon!

Banana Cheerio Quickfast

• Great for a super fast morning meal
• 1 to 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• 1 banana
• 3/4 cup cup or original cheerios
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle

• 1 to 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• 1 to 2 peeled oranges
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Blueberry Blaster

• 1 to 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 6 to 8 ounces of water
• 4 to 6 ice cubes
• 20-30 blueberries
• Mix in a blender on medium for 1 minute. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

Mocha Surprise

• Save some leftover coffee and add about 1/2 cup to your next chocolate shake. Adds 0 calories but lots of taste.

Orange Tangy

• Add a dash of sugar free Tang to a vanilla protein shake. Adds less than 10 calories and brings back childhood memories of enjoying the real thing.

Grasshopper

• A few drops of mint extract will turn your chocolate shake into a chocolate mint treat.

Eggnog

• Add a dash of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and a sprinkle of butter buds to a vanilla shake to create a yummy eggnog flavor.

Protein & Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup oatmeal
• 2 or 3 egg whites scrambled (or 1/2 cup eggbeaters)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• dash of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sweet-n-low brown

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and allow mixture to thicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour onto preheated frying pan or griddle. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Garnish with fresh strawberries or sugar free syrup. Makes 1 serving.

Variation- Add 1/2 pack sugar free apple cider mix. Lots of flavor and only 8 more calories.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 scoop vanilla protein

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Roll by hand into 1″ balls and chill until firm (about an hour). They make great high protein snacks and are an excellent source of healthy fats. Makes 4 servings.

Protein Pudding Shots

• Try mixing your scoop of protein with 2 tbs fat free, sugar free pudding mix and 1 oz ice water. Allow mixture to thicken and eat it with a spoon. Adds 50 calories and 6 grams of carbohydrates.

Abdominal Workout

As I have stated in the past, we discussed some of the facts and myths regarding our abdomens. Today we are going to look at an ab routine to get you started in the right direction, and one that I myself rely on quite heavily. These are very effective, and I urge you to master these core exercises. I recommend choosing a few of the exercises at a time, and mix them up and switch them around to keep your ab routine fresh and ever changing. But before we begin, I want to say, that you may perform these on a mat on the floor, with a medicine ball, on a stability ball, or on a decline bench. Whatever tools you have readily available will work just fine, although, I really love my medicine and stability balls. These are fabulous and can be purchased almost anywhere. Likewise, they are found in every gym should you have a gym membership. I like to keep a set at home, because a lot of times, I like to get my ab workout done and out of the way first thing in the morning. However, when I am at the gym, I will be sure to use them there along with an incline bench. So let’s get going!

Ball Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Slide your knees over your ankles, and separate your knees so that they are hip width apart. Lower your back onto the ball so that your back is properly supported by the ball. Place your hands behind your head, and pull in and flex your abs. 

Exercise- Pushing heels through the floor, rock back and forth with your hips whilst crunching your abs slightly toward your naval. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I personally like to perform this exercise by taking it to failure.

Caution- There is little caution here since the stability ball serves well to support and cushion the back. Just keep your balance throughout the movement and remember to breathe. Exhale during the crunch and inhale returning from the crunch.

Tips- These will work both upper and lower abdomens since constant tension will remain on the muscles throughout this exercise. These may at first seem awkward, but with practice, you will soon connect the ab muscles with the movement as you get the hang of it. Just remember, that these are performed using a very small movement. These are one of my favorite ab exercises because they are so comfortable to perform and yet extremely effective in the process. I promise, that once you make the connection, you will feel these working!

180 Degree Ball Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Lower your back and entire body completely over the ball, with hands placed behind your head whilst keeping your neck relaxed.

Exercise- Begin to lift your body up toward your naval until almost sitting upright on the ball exhaling at the top of the movement, then lowering back down to start position and inhaling. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Pay attention in keeping your balance, using your feet to keep you steady.

Tips- With all ab exercises, it is imperative that during the exhale movement, to release and blow out all air from your lungs whilst flexing the ab muscles in tightly and then pausing to squeeze. You will get a much more effective ab workout when you do. This is key, and must always be remembered as this is what will give you your best results. The farther apart you place your feet the easier this exercise will become.

Straight Leg Lowering

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms close to your sides or placed under your butt. Raise your legs straight out up in the air keeping your feet close together.

Exercise- To start, completely exhale releasing all air out from your lungs and begin to lower your legs taking care not to touch the floor. Pause at the bottom and raise back up to start position, inhaling on the way back up. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. 

Caution- If you feel any pressure on your lower back, place your hands under your lower back/upper butt area to release the pressure. This always works well for me. Be sure to never allow your feet to reach the floor.

Tips- Remember to pull in your belly towards your spine throughout the movement. These are wonderful for your lower ab muscles. To get better results, move quicker through the decline and slower through the incline raise; this puts more stress on the lower abs. 

Bicycles

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms close to your sides or placed under your butt. Raise your legs bending at a 90 degrees. 

Exercise- Starting with one leg at a time, begin to emulate bicycling only you’ll tend to extend each leg out and back in alternately. This movement should be performed semi-slowly, but not so slow that you lose the momentum of cycling. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I like to work these to failure.

Caution- Be mindful not to lock out your knees when extending your legs out. Always be kind to your joints! If you feel any pressure on your lower back, you can relieve this by placing your hands under your lower back for support.

Tips- Remember to breathe throughout the movement taking care never to hold your breath. Keep your belly button pulled toward your spine. Focus on the lower abs because this one will do the trick!

Ball Oblique Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Lower your back onto the ball so that it supports your body perfectly. Keep your feet hip wide apart placing your hands behind your head as illustrated.

Exercise- Begin by releasing and blowing out all air from your lungs and begin to lift your body up towards your naval, but this time, lifting up and to the right. Pause on the crunch at the top, and slowly lower yourself back to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your right side. You will then proceed to do the same lifting up and to your left until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Take care to keep your balance and stay controlled throughout the movement.

Tips- Remember to exhale on the way  into the crunch, and exhale on the way back out from the crunch. Really feel the side oblique muscles working hard. This is a very important movement to master.

Reverse Crunch

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms kept close to your sides. Raise your legs and bend to a 90 degree angle keeping legs and feet together throughout the movement. Keep your lower back pushed into the ground.

Exercise- Lift your bottom off the floor and up, curling your knees into your chest and exhale making sure all your air has been blown out from your lungs. Slowly returning to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- If you feel tension on your lower back, you may place your hands at the small of your back. Stay aligned with your body as a curl up towards your chest.

Tips- This is a lower ab movement and you must take care not to use your arms to make this lower crunch. Make sure you allow your abs to perform the exercise. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.

         -written by Angela Doss

What Are Pilates?

Pilates, without a doubt, has taken the fitness world by storm in the last several years. Everyone is doing it - from dancers to footballers - and the benefits are as much mental as they are physical. Pilates is a disciplined and focused form of exercise intended to strengthen ligaments and joints, as well as increase flexibility and lengthen muscles. A Pilates exercise move is designed primarily to focus on elongating the body through various stretching movements. Additionally, its style focuses on training the muscles for core strength to better support the ligaments, tendons, and joints. 

Pilates exercises was developed and formed by Joseph Pilates during the 1940s with the proposal to improve the mental and physical health through a rehabilitation program for World War ll veteran soldiers. Pilates created, The Pilates Principles to condition the entire body through proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement, and today, it is more centered around injured dancers and the likes.

Pilates Benefits

Pilates offers many benefits. Many people with back problems ask whether Pilates work for back pain. The answer is most definitely. If your posture is bad, your lower back and hips will then adjust themselves accordingly which means they’re essentially out of alignment which then causes back pain.  By strengthening and stretching the back muscles, it will improve overall flexibility, mobility and bring back precision at which you move.

Other benefits are:

• Improved circulation which awaken all the cells in the body and carries away the wastes related to fatigue.
• Unity of mind and body which creates balance, and vitality.
• Improved sleep, with total mind and body relaxation, and alleviates daily stress.
• Improves clarity through concentration exercises which centers you and enhances rhythm and motion.

Types of Pilates

There are three types of pilates, the most popular being the mat workout, where much time is spent on the floor using gravity and your own body weight to create resistance. There is also a pilates class that incorporate weights and one that uses special equipment. Joseph Pilates developed these machines which allow people to do the pilates moves using a pulley-system of resistance. Most places, however, preform the mat workouts.

Who Can Benefit From Pilates?

Pilates are most beneficial to people with injuries, weak muscles, and particularly bad posture because it encourages you to strengthen your problem areas in a relaxed and low impact way. It is advisable to anyone with serious injuries to consult their doctors first. Pregnant women should also get clearance from their doctor before proceeding.

“People should also be very careful to ensure that the instructor who is taking the class is fully qualified,” says Dr. Ibrahim. “No one should be twisting and turning their body unless under professional guidance.”

Pilates is offered through most gyms as part of their membership program, however, there are many people that chose personal pilates trainers as they find that the individual attention helps them to tailor the moves to their body needs.

We all strive for flatter and more defined abdomens. We know how hard we work for them, but do we really know how to get them? Let’s start by looking at the most common myths and facts about abs so that we can learn the truth about abs . Then we can understand how better to achieve them.

The Most Common Myths And Facts About Abs Dispelled

Myth: Fat always deposits in the abs.

Fact: The fat in your body will deposit where it is genetically programmed to.

Some people are apple shaped: they put on flab around the waist, chest and back first. Others are pear shaped: they put on flab first on the hips and thighs. Upper body fat is unhealthier as people with upper body fat have more chances of heart disease than people with lower body fat.

Myth: Spot reducing abs is easy.

Fact: You cannot spot reduce those abs!

Myth: Abdominal exercises will remove fat in my midsection.

Fact: You need to remove excess fat around your stomach in order to see your abs. The only way you are going to do this is with a low-calorie diet and a weight-resistance program while adding cardio exercise. Ab exercises will develop muscles, but they’ll still be hiding under a layer of fat until you lose the body fat.

Myth: You have to train your abs everyday.

Fact: The rules of weight training state that you should give your muscles at least a day of rest to recover, and this applies to your abs as well. Instead of working them everyday, do them every other day or even just three times per week. They need a break just like the rest of your body parts. The trick is to train them hard though.

Myth: Doing ab exercises gets rid of abdominal fat.

Fact: There is no such thing as spot reduction. People assume that if you have fat deposits on your abdomens, exercising the muscles underlying the fat will make it go away. But they assume wrong. You can’t get rid of the fat over a muscle by repeatedly exercising that body part. The only way to burn fat from your tummy is through prolonged exercise and a healthy, low calorie diet.

Myth: High repetitions are required to make gains.

Fact: As stated earlier, abs are just like every other muscle in your body. That means, you should train your abs the same way as the rest of your muscle groups. To make strength gains with your abs, you have to overload your muscles.

Myth: If you have a bad back, training the abs will worsen it.

Fact: Training your abs will strengthen your back. The opposing muscles in your body always assist each other. So if you have weak ab muscles, the load of the work fails on the back. So strengthen the abs, and your back will become stronger as well.

Myth: Men and women should train their abs differently.

Fact: Men and women all have the same muscles and should always be trained the same way. If a woman wants a firm midsection, then she’s going to have to eat correctly, follow a cardio program and train her abs the same way a man would.

Myth: If I stop training my abs they will turn to fat.

Fact: Muscles don’t turn to fat. If you stay active and watch what you eat you’ll keep your abs even if you stop training. But if you stop exercising and start eating junk food, your abs will disappear again under a layer of abdominal fat.

So don’t waste any more time by falling victim to common ab myths. Train intelligently in accordance with scientifically based training techniques and get the super abs you’ve always wanted! As we continue to move along, we will discuss some of the best ab exercises to help achieve our fitness goals.

        -written by Angela Doss

reference:
Mike Geary, the truth about abs

What Is Yoga?

To understand yoga, one must first realize that it is a sort of journey, if you will, as it is not a quick fix at all. In fact, it requires one to develop discipline, and there is hard work involved especially for beginners. The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit - a language of ancient India where yoga originated well over 3000 years ago, and it is considered to be the oldest physical discipline in existence. Yoga, is a spiritual practice or discipline that helps the individual to unify ones body, mind, and soul. Yoga can be more accurately referenced to its Sanskrit word “asana”.  Asana, however, is only one part of the eight limbs of yoga.

Many people mistakenly think that yoga is just stretching. While stretching is certainly involved, yoga focuses on harmony between mind, body, and self-enlightenment which is attained through poses, breathing, postural alignment, relaxation and meditation in order to establish wellness, happiness, and a balanced approach to every area of life. If you stay with yoga long enough, you can discover a “spiritual awakening” or better put, “enlightenment”. You will find out that who you are, is not just a body, and not just the conversations in your mind. Yoga will open windows to things you have never experience before as it will take you beyond the mundane survival level and into a whole new appreciation of life.

While there are said to be four main paths (Margas) to yoga, its ultimate aim is to guide you through a spiritual healing or higher experience that it will literally change your life, your thought process, your attitude, your outlook and your awareness. Through steady practice, you will manifest less self-importance, less material attachment, a much higher level of happiness, and will evolve into a less judgemental state. It is the fundamental path in alleviating chronic daily stress, and to which leads to a longer, more meaningful, and healthier journey through life. You will gain profound wisdom and learn how your conscious and unconscious mind can either support or harm you. Ultimately, yoga is about transformation and is studied both on a physical and mental level uniting the individual with the supreme.

The Four Main Paths

• Jnana Marga - The path of Knowledge in which one learns to discriminate between what is real and what is illusory.
•  Karma Marga - The path of selfless work, and emphasizes spiritual practice to help the individual toward union.
• Bhakti Marga - The path of devotion to god, and encompasses chanting, spiritual reading practices, and worship.
• Yoga Marga - The path of control of the mind where all the activities of the mind and consciousness are studied and brought under control.

Others, highly recognized, have come to include the path of yoga and are:

• Raja Yoga - Involves mastery of the mind and senses in Samadhi; essentially the advanced aspects of Patanjali’s astanga yoga.
• Hatha Yoga - The yoga of the will which involves cultivating ones energy to arouse Kundalini primarily by means of asana and pranayama.
• Mantra Yoga - Involves reciting sacred syllables to reach perfection.
• Laya Yoga - Involves absorption in god to experience ultimate bliss.

references:
Sri Swami Rama (2008) The royal path: Practical lessons on yoga. Himalayan Institute Press; New Ed edition.
Zen Buddhism: A History (India and China) By Heinrich Dumoulin, James W. Heisig, Paul F. Knitter

Understanding Our Sticking Points 

We all know how hard it is once we’ve hit a sticking point. It can crush us emotionally and cause us to quit striving toward our fitness goals if we don’t know how to ward it off or move through and around it. This is a crucial point to be aware of, well in advanced, and to understand what to do when it happens. There are many that fall prey to its discouragement, but it is a part of any growth no matter what the arena. Trust me, I have been there, in the dumps, enough times until I finally learned what to do about it, and therefore, I will share with you some important tips to apply in order to have continued success in all your fitness goals.

Why The Sticking Points?

First of all, you must understand the body and how it works, and once you do, you will learn to appreciate the body’s operative mechanism even more. You must first realize that the body always wants to heal itself; it doesn’t want to be sickly, and believe it or not, it is not acting out against you - it merely does what it is told to do. The body is designed, and most happy, to be a fast mean running machine. It’s instincts are for the well being and to its survival based on the principles of our cave man era. Therefore, the body knows by instinct how to protect itself, to preserve itself, and how to heal itself. But the body also knows how to adjust itself to whatever demands, or lack thereof, it is placed under. The body gets use to these shifts very quickly, and thank God! If we were ill, and lay to rest, our body would immediately take over by instinct and begin to repair itself. Likewise, if we exercise or attempt to lose weight, the body will automatically adjust to its new demand and this is GREAT! But here is where the sticking points occur once the body has adjusted itself to this shift, and this is where you come in and use the mind to trick the body into doing whatever you want it to do. So next time you are upset with your body, or discouraged with its performance or outcome, look inside your mind for the answers on how to make the body respond to your demands once again. The body is the most fascinating machine to have ever walked the planet, but it’s the mind that houses its control. Simply put, the body hasn’t a mind and it only works on survival instinct or auto-pilot, if you will.

Don’t Let Sticking Points Rain On Your Parade

Have you ever noticed that when you start working out and making healthful shifts to your diet that your body responds amazingly quick, but then after about a month or so, all of a sudden, everything seems to come to a screeching halt? The scale may change a little or may even go up a pound (water retention) and you may just feel completely out of sync. Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP!! It’s like a child that doesn’t seem to be growing and then over night, literally, he springs up from nowhere. At that very moment, you can just hear their grandparents with such exclamation in their voices, “Oh my Goodness! Charlie’s grown like a weed since the last time I saw him a mere month ago!” What is happening is your body may not appear to be changing on the outside, but it is definitely making the changes inside, and this too is part of the necessary process in order to continue to make outward shifts appear. But what can we do to minimize and speed up these sticking points? A whole lot! So let’s get to it.

Tips On How To Work Through Our Sticking Points

As I have emphasized in the past, it is crucial to log everything in your daily journal. Write down the weights you chose, the reps, sets, rests, and the routine you are following. What you ate and drank etc.

After a month, completely change your entire routine. I could write a hundred ways in how to change a routine while still exercising the exact same body parts. It is endless, but crucial. But one must also understand the importance of what to do during that month on a particular routine: You must change each week using some form of ”progression” technique. This would include, as stated before, a heavier weight load, another set, perhaps more reps, or less rest periods. This is vital to your success, and including one or two of these techniques per week is optimal. Once the month is over and after having used progressive techniques each week during that month’s routine, it is time to change the program entirely, while always remembering, that with any routine, to apply one or all of the progressive techniques each week.

As far as weight loss goes, you also must do the same by shifting calories around often enough for your body to continue to respond. Give yourself a cheat day, or even two; every 10 or 11 days, and watch the weight keep coming off. Keep your body guessing, and it has no other choice but to respond. I hope this helps and good luck!

        -written by Angela Doss

Gym Exercise Terms are important to understand whether you will be working out in the gym or at home. Once understood, you will be able to follow almost any routine you are given. Some of the terms you may have heard of before or already know, while others you may not, so let’s cover them:

Exercise- An exercise is a particular movement for a particular muscle or muscle group, designed to create change in muscle growth and to become stronger. As an example; a sit up is an exercise designed to strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles.

Repetition- A repetition (rep for short) is a complete movement of an exercise from start position to mid position, and back to start position. An example of a repetition would be to perform a sit up which starts with lying on your back, then lifting yourself up to your knees, then lowering yourself back down to start position. That is considered one repetition. Usually, you will repeat the rep for a given amount of times to complete and entire set.

Set- A set is a specific number of repetitions performed of a particular exercise without resting. An example of a set would be to preform 20 repetitions of an exercise (like a sit up), without resting until you’ve completed all 20 repetitions. At that point it would be considered one set, and you would then be allowed to take a rest before you completed another set of the specific number of repetitions.

Rest- A rest is a pause between sets or exercises. Rests are important and are used to allow you the time to recover from a set or exercise so that you can continue to complete a full workout. The variance in length of rests also allow for a more challenging or easier workout depending upon your fitness goals. For instance, if you want a more challenging workout, shorter or fewer rests would be desired. If, however, you wanted a less challenging workout, resting longer with more rests would be desired. As you progress, you will want to challenge yourself in various different ways.

Workout- A workout includes all of the exercises that were meant to be performed on a given day. An example of a  workout might be training the lower body one day, and then completing a workout for the upper body on a different day. 

Routine- A routine is a specific combination of exercises and schedule that you will follow for a certain amount of time. An example of a routine would be a circuit training routine that would have you performing specific exercises, that followed a specific schedule each week for a certain amount of time. In order to progress and avoid sticking points, it is important to change your routine every 6 to 8 weeks.

Intensity- Intensity is the degree of difficulty of a workout program. There are numerous ways to establish this. Intensity can be achieved by increasing the number of repetitions, increasing the number of sets, increasing the load of weight, or by reducing the rest periods allowed between sets and between exercises. All of these basic intensity methods should be incorporated into your workouts on a regular basis. Switching around the types of intensity is vital t preventing from reaching a sticking point

Progression- Progression is key to making progress of any kind in your fitness endeavors. Whether it is in losing body fat,  becoming toned, or both; you must challenge yourself more each time in order to see results. An example of this would be if you can easily get through your circuit training routine while still using perfect form, you need to preform your workout using larger weights in order for your body to continue to respond. 

Toning up the back of the arms has always been a focus for women. Below are some wonderful exercises to firm up the triceps muscles in no time flat. Triceps are the large, three-headed muscle that runs along the back of the upper arm (hence, triceps). This is the muscle that starts to sag and jiggle more quickly on a woman after a certain age. No fear, we are here to rescue them once and for all! 

Overhead Triceps Extension -

Start- Stand in front of a mirror in order to achieve perfect form when doing this exercise. Hold a free weight dumbbell with both hands cupped around one end of the dumbbell (as shown), with elbows bent behind your head. 

Exercise- Begin to raise your arms straight up toward the ceiling so that your biceps are touching your ears. Pause and flex the triceps muscles at the top and lower back down to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Maintain control of the weight at all times. Exhale as you extend the weight, inhale as you lower the weight.

Tips- Keep your elbow and biceps close to your head at all times, making sure the only movement is coming from the elbow joint. Keep concentration focused on the triceps muscles being worked.

Triceps Dip -

Start- Using a flat bench, place both hands, about four to six inches apart, at edge of the bench with knees bent and feet together on floor (as shown), with arms extended.

Exercise- Slowly lower your body as far down as possible by bending your upper arms, your bottom near the floor level, then lifting back up using your triceps muscles, and returning to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Keep elbows in tight, don’t let them travel away from your body. This will ensure that the pressure stays on the triceps muscles where they belong. Do not allow yourself to use your feet to push back up. This is a triceps exercise, not a leg exercise. Exhale as you push up to start position, inhale as you go down.

Tips- This is a very effective exercise, keep concentration focused on the triceps muscles being worked.

Dumbbell Triceps Kickback -

Start- Standing with feet together, knees slightly bent, back parallel to the floor (as shown); hold the dumbbells in each hand at your sides, with palms facing in. Bend your elbows at your sides, while keeping eyes to the floor.

Exercise- Slowly extend your arms with the dumbbells up and out from behind you, making sure to keep your elbows locked tightly at your waist. Pause at the extension and flex the triceps muscles then return to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Your elbows should act as a hinge for your wrist-to-elbow area. Simply put, the movement only takes place between the wrist to the elbow. The rest of the arm should always stay stable and locked to your sides. Exhale as you extend the arms, inhale as you return to start position. Keep your back flat and do not allow it to arch. Keep your spine in alignment to your body. Keep abs in tight. Maintain control of the weight, and never swing or jerk the dumbbells back; remember to always be kind to your joints!

Tips- You can perform these one arm at a time if you choose. This may help to alleviate any pressure to the lower back, and can also help to place more concentration on each triceps muscle at a time.

Dumbbell Triceps Skullcrushers -

Start- Either lying down on a flat bench or a stability ball, take a hold of a dumbbell with both hands cupped around one  end of the dumbbell (as shown); with elbows kept in tight, extend the dumbbell over your head, palms facing up. Your forearms and hips should be parallel to the floor, feet shoulder width apart and legs slightly bent.

Exercise- Extend the weight over your head toward the ceiling until your arms are fully extended and the dumbbell is center front of you and arms are perpendicular to the floor. Again, this is an exercise that should be performed within the movement between the wrist-to-elbows. The elbows should never leave its original position. Pause at the top of the movement and flex the triceps muscles. Slowly lower the the weight back to beginning position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Maintain control of the weight never swinging or jerking through the movement. You must always remember to be kind to your joints; this is key. Keep your feet sturdy on the floor to prevent from rocking around. Exhale going up, inhale going down. Keep control of the movement and concentrate on the working muscles. Remember, that the elbows must be kept tight into the body.

Tips- When exercising triceps, you don’t need a lot of weight. Perfect form is much more effective. Once you master the form, you will feel your triceps working.

Elbows In  Push Ups

Start- To begin, one must understand the position in which to create for the triceps to take its central roll during this exercise. These are not that easy to perform since the hands are placed, and almost tucked, under the body while elbows are locked in at the waist. With feet off the ground and knees bent on the floor start with arms close together, and back kept straight.

Exercise- Slowly bend at the elbows and lower yourself to the ground so that your chest almost touches the floor, then drive back up to start position with arms extended fully. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Do not lock out your elbows at the top of the movement which may cause a jolt to the joints. Keep the tension on the triceps muscles. This can only work if you keep your hands under your body with elbows tight at the waist. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down. Don’t let your back arch. Keep abs in tight.

Tips- As you progress, you can eventually do these on all fours. This is an advanced movement though.

Please be sure to leave any concerns, questions or comments that you may have. I will be more than happy to reply. 

Achieving your fitness goals is an incredible feat and reaps insurmountable rewards, but there’s no better place to start than in a journal. It is imperative to ones success and writing down and setting detailed goals, both short term and long term, is key. Include in your journal; daily exercise routine, log the reps, sets, and changes made to your routine. Each time you workout, focus on progressively adding more reps than last time, or completing an extra set; perhaps choosing a heavier weight, walking a 1/4 mile longer. Log the changes. Rate its intensity on a scale from 1 to 5, and watch the intensity become easier and easier each time. Log how long it took to complete the workout. This helps in gauging your progress. Give yourself a smiley face, maybe a gold star! Write to yourself and include how proud you are. Tell yourself ‘you can do it.’ Draw a bear hug when you do. Log your daily diet, and in detail write down what’s working and what’s not in order to fine tune your progress. This will help you in reaching your target much more quickly than you would ever imagine. It’s a diary that will become a part of your life and should include your moods, your feelings, your aspirations, your questions, what you ate, what you lost, the happenings in your life during the process, and everything else that comes to mind.

Where Do I Begin In My Journal?

Some very important tips before you begin in your quest to a healthier and more fit lifestyle should be in having someone taking a couple of pictures of yourself - front, and back. Include with them, your beginning body weight and body measurements. Measurements included should be your chest (across areola,) upper arms, waist (across naval,) hips (largest width, usually across and center of buttocks,) and upper thighs ( widest part.) Finding someone to help you with this can make things easier. Additionally, having your body fat measured can also be another good option to consider, and can usually be preformed in a variety of ways at your local gym or doctor’s office. Doing all of this ahead, will serve as an incredible motivator down the road in that you can paste the pictures with beginning date, along with the measured data into your diary to look back on every month or so. You will astound yourself and it will motivate you on your continued journey. Every three months, you should record and include those pictures and measurements too. 

Some Tips To Include In Your Journal

Everyone has different ways to keep motivated and reach success and it is advised to find what works for you. I myself like to keep a space on the right side of my journal just for motivational purposes such as quotes, reminders, scribbled cartoon drawings, or even pictures that I can paste in. Some ideas in using pictures can include someone you admire, a person you look up to or that you find ideal to your fitness goals. Maybe a picture of yourself back in college when you were 20 pounds lighter. Perhaps a picture of the Caribbean island where you’ll be vacationing this summer lying uninhibited in your bathing suit on the beach. A funny cartoon drawing that will make you giggle and keeps your spirits light during the process. Motivational quotes are huge to your success, and keeping a constant vigilance on positive thinking will see you there in no time flat.

Research shows that success rates are greatest when goals are written down front and center. Anthony Robbins, one of the great motivational speakers, says, “If your life is worth living, it’s worth recording.” 

To eat or not to eat before a workout is sometimes a complex question because what you eat and when you eat can greatly affect your performance and fitness goals. While skipping meals is a big mistake, how to eat for exercise should be the main focus and is dependent on several factors; specifically, how long you exercise, your type of exercise, your exercise level, and any health factors that may play a role in how you process food. Nutrition plays a key role in building the framework to fitness, and optimizing health. So let’s take a look:

Eating Before A Workout  

One thing is certain, you should eat before a workout. Food is fuel and serves several functions such as providing you with the energy you will need for optimal performance, while preventing fatigue, headaches and light-headedness. Ultimately, it helps prevent low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) . What you choose to eat can make or break your workout. Choosing healthful foods are key in keeping your metabolism and blood sugars level. If you are an early riser, I recommend starting your day by eating good breakfast an hour to an hour and a half before your workout and choosing a balanced diet of rich wholesome foods such as oatmeal or omelets. You can always get creative, as I like to do, and add different fruits, and protein powder to your oatmeal, and lots of fresh vegetables and a variety of meats to your omelets. If you must; have a light snack up to a half hour before but not more than a slice of toast or a piece of fruit. Save your eating for after your workout as too large a meal will make you feel sluggish and may promote stomach cramping.  On the flip side, not eating before you exercise can be just as bad as eating too much and will only lead to your being weak or tired, dizzy, and with a loss of mental clarity.

Getting The Most From Your Workouts

When you choose to exercise, as a rule of thumb, allow 3 -4 hours for a bigger meal to digest; 2 -3 hours for a small meal, and an hour or less for a small snack, depending on your body. If you are going to exercise for less than an hour, choose foods that are light and digest easily so that it won’t bog you down or slow metabolism. If your workouts would extend an hour, choose foods that stay with you longer such as bananas or yogurt. Likewise, eat larger meals at least three to four hours before exercising. If you’re having a small meal, eat two to three hours before exercising. As always drink plenty of water before, during, and after all your exercise routines.

Eating After A Workout

Studies show that 15 - 60 minutes after a workout is the optimal time to eat carbohydrate and protein rich foods because this is when enzymes that make glycogen are most active and will most quickly replace depleted glycogen stores in the muscles. Protein also helps with recovery in that it repairs muscles and helps with glycogen replacement. At this time, drinking nutritional liquids is vital in replacing what you have sweat out. Also a good protein shake is a great choice after a workout especially if time is a factor.

If you aren’t used to eating before or after exercise, remember that it’s a learned behavior. Teaching your body the optimal time for fuel will give you a boost, and a heads-up for faster and better results.

Target Heart Rate 

When it comes to our Aerobic Workouts, we all want to get the most out of those 30 or so minutes on the treadmill, or any other kind of cardio sport we have chosen. We first need to understand the importance of maximizing the benefits of cardiovascular activity by learning how to calculate and exercise within the zone of our targeted heart rate (THR).

Today, using a heart rate monitor has become the easiest way to regularly check your heart rate, but to do this manually, (and you should at least once for better understanding) you can learn a simple method  to check your pulse in order to keep track of your intensity. As a rule of thumb, your (THR) is 60% - 80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). The Karvonen Method of calculating (THR) is one of the most effective methods of determining target heart rate because it takes into account resting heart rate. Here’s how to find your THR.

How To Find Your (THR)

• First start by finding your resting heart rate as soon as you wake up. You can do this by counting your pulse for one minute while still in bed. You may average your heart rate over three mornings to obtain your average resting heart rate (RHR). Add the three readings together, and divide that number by three to get the RHR. For example:

(76 + 80 + 78) /3 = 78 (RHR)

• Find your maximum heart rate (MHR) with the formula 220 minus your age, like this:

The MHR for a 40 year old, would be 220 - 40 = 180  beats per minute (bpm)

With these figures, an example of a targeted training rate goal would be 70% of 180 (MHR) which is 126 (bpm). Let’s say that a good range for you would them be between 120 - 130 (bpm) which would be your targeted heart rate (THR). This is only a guide, and should be reconsidered if there are any medical conditions in which to take in account. Your doctor can advise you on what’s the safest zone for you.

To ensure you are exercising in a safe zone, you can combine the training target heart rate zone with the talk test. The talk test allows you to gauge yourself during exercise. You should never feel completely breathless and unable to talk, but you should be breathing “somewhat hard.” By staying in your training target heart rate zone, you should be able to achieve the same results with the talk test.

I use to wear my heart rate monitor religiously, until I got so use to recognizing my targeted zone, that many times I just didn’t bother with it anymore - and most people don’t. It became an instinct for me, and I always knew if I wasn’t in it. Once you get a real good understanding of your targeted zone, you will soon be able to monitor yourself without any device or calculations, should you choose. It is, however, vital to learn it well for safety precautions.