Change your Brain Change your Life...

This article comes from Chalene Johnson, the creator of TurboJam/TurboKick (one of my favorite workouts ever...just a side note). Rather than try to put this all in my own words I have just copied and pasted the first part of it below. You can link to read the rest at the end of the entry.

Chalene Johnson created a fitness business pretty much from scratch. I am very inspired by what she has done. Makes me want to follow in her footsteps.

Take the time to read this (or listen to the videos). Even if you have already heard this before it is a GREAT reminder. Especially for those of you embarking on the journey to lose weight.

Change your Brain Change your Life
by Chalene Johnson on October 28, 2009


The Key to Long Term Success – Changing the Voice in your Head-


What lives in your mind, affects your thinking. Your thinking affects your performance, your mood, your beliefs, and your ability to reach your goals.



When we slip, or believe we should have done a better job of something, we beat ourselves up mentally. We say things to ourselves that we would NEVER dream of saying to anyone else in our lives. “What a loser!” “I can’t believe how stupid you are.” “You’ll never be able to do it right.” We become what we think about most. Our own self-deprecating comments become our greatest obstacle.


When you Change your Thinking, you Change your Life.



Have you ever stopped and realized you had made things worse in your mind than they really were? Once the facts came to light, you recognized how you had allowed your imagination to take things off into a deep dark place where monsters live.



It’s amazing how effectively we can convince ourselves that one of our co-workers is out to get us, that someone doesn’t like us. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of feeling tired because you tell yourself you’re tired.



Certainly we’ve all had moments of self-pity; only to be snapped back to reality with the story of someone struggling with the illness of a child, or a life altering event. When that happens you reevaluate the way in which you were processing your own circumstances; you put yourself back in check and think, “Wow! I guess I really don’t have it that bad. I need to be more thankful.”



As you continue on your life fitness journey, remember that a great deal of your training time should be spent on exercises for your brain. When it comes to fitness, the number one area of the body that is most important and most often overlooked is…the brain!



Read the rest of this article by clicking here. You will also find more video.

Easy Lunch Idea...

A sandwich is a common lunch food, but if you are not careful the calories can add up really quick. Here is an easy, and delicious way to solve that problem...

Turkey Sandwich-

1 Arnold Select Sandwich Thins (100% Whole Wheat)- 100 calories

1 Light Original Swiss Laughing Cow cheese wedge- 35 calories (You may not even need to use the whole wedge. With this there is no need to add any mayo or other kinds of cheese).

3 slices Hormel Natural Choice Oven Roasted Turkey- 50 Calories

Load on the veggies!!! (I personally love sprouts, cucumbers and tomatoes).- No need to count these calories!

Add in an apple for another 100 calories and you are still only sitting at a total of 285 calories.

Super easy and super delicious!

Here are some pictures to help you know what to look for at the grocery store-

At least for today you can Save $0.75 by printing off the coupon here- http://www.hormel.com/updates/coupons/

Fitness versus Fatness-

A study recently published in the January 2010 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, examined the difference between weight loss due to caloric restriction only versus caloric restriction and exercise.

The study was divided into 3 groups-
1) Control (weight maintenance diet)
2) Caloric restriction (25% reduction in energy intake)
3) Caloric restriction plus aerobic exercise (12.5% reduction in calories, 12.5% increase in exercise energy expenditure)

The study lasted 6 months.

Changes in fat mass, visceral fat (belly fat), VO2peak (aerobic capacity), muscular strength, blood lipids, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity secretion were compared amongst the groups.

Both interventin groups experienced similar reductions in total body mass, fat mass, and visceral fat mass.

BUT

The calorie-restricted-plus-exercise group experienced greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), and diastolic blood pressure than the caloric restriction by diet alone group.

I am guessing that this informaton isn't new to most of you. But from conversations with others it is clear to me that many of us haven't quite grasped the importance of physical activity/exercise.

Exercise is a key component of weight loss. From this study we can also take away that exercise is necessary for even those who don't need to lose weight. Obviously it does something good to the body.

Also, with a little exercise you don't have to be so extreme in your calorie restrictions. Notice that the exercise group only had to cut back on their food comsumption by 12.5% versus 25%. I know I would much rather put in my gym time in order to enjoy a few more calories on my plate.

Stop delaying and get moving!

~PCFitness

More Band Exercises-

Try this combo....
Do 20 reps of the Squat and Row and follow immediately with the oblique twist. Do 15 twists on each side. Finish with 15-20 reps of the Chest Fly.


Squat and Row-
sorry for the cheeseball guy in the video:)




Resistance Band Torso Twists - Obliques Abs-
Both videos are the same exercise. One is done with a single band and the other the band is doubled up. As long as the resistance is challenging, and you can keep your form, it doesn't really matter which way you do it. If you use a bent arm where you hold the handles close to your body you will work more of your biceps while working your obliques. The straight arm will work more of your shoulders.





Chest Fly-

Resistance Bands-

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WORKOUT ROUTINE AT THE END OF THE POST

I personally think one of the best pieces of equipment to invest in for exercising at home is a resistance band. They are really versatile and inexpensive. Each band will cost around $10. You can do a full body strength workout with them. They take up little to no room. Plus they travel well. It is hard to beat that.

You can buy the bands pretty much anywhere- Wal-mart, Target, on-line, or any sporting goods store. The prices on-line are lower but the shipping might make it a wash. Here are some websites for you to look at-
http://www.workoutz.com/shopping/product/resistance_exercise_tubing
http://www.resistancebands.com/components.html
http://www.spri.com/ItemGroup.aspx?ItemGroupID=1&CategoryID=24&ItemGroupTypeID=1

You will probably want two different levels of resistance depending on your level of fitness.

Here are some exercises you can do with the bands. You will have to make sure you buy one of the door attachment pieces in order to do some of the exercises.
http://www.resistancebands.com/exercises.html
http://www.invodo.com/Xertube/p/Z8A10016 (click on MORE VIDEOS on the bottm right of the screen to watch all of them)

Basic Full Body Resitance Band Workout

The exercises marked with an * are ones you will find specifically from this site.

Circuit 1- Do 15-20 reps of each exercise. Repeat circuit 3 times.
Squats
Chest Fly*
High Row*

Circuit 2- Do 15-20 reps of each exercise. Repeat circuit 3 times.
Tricep Kickbacks
Bicep Curls
Lunges with tap (done w/o the band. When doing right side step the left leg back so that you are doing a lunge. Then stand tall bringing the left foot up to tap the floor next to your right foot. Do 15 reps on this leg before switching sides)

Upright Row

Circuit 3- Repeat 3 times
Push-ups (without the band 15-20 reps)
Bicycles for Abs (30 sec to one minute Without Band)
Side Steps (Do just like the video. 2 right and 2 left make one rep. Do 15 reps)

These side steps are one of my personal favorites!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your workout!

~PCFitness

Core Exercises

I came across this clip from a workout dvd. It is jam packed with great core exercises. You could incorporate some of the ideas into your workout. Or I would even recommend purchasing this dvd if you are one who does a lot of workouts from home.