Burning calories

Trainers are often incorrect when "prescribing" 30-45 minutes of cardio a day.  Yes this is beneficial for weight loss and general health but the common misconception is that it must be all performed in one shot (ie: 30 minutes straight).  In reality, long durations of aerobic exercise do induce more fat burning but calories are calories.  If you can only dedicate 3 separate 10 minute jogs throughout the day then you are still burning the same amount of calories had you jogged for 30 minutes one time.

This is a good instance to initiate "commercial workouts" with youself, your family, and your kids.  If you have tv time at night then it would be beneficial to exercise when the commercials come on.  Push-ups, squats, crunches, running around the room, or even jumping rope.

When doing this you will still accumulate the same amount of calories burned in a standard workout but it was just broken up over a longer timeframe.

Calories are calories!

Simplifying workouts

If you get easily overwhelmed when entering the gym and don't even know where to start your workout because of all of the different equipment then just focus on one type of thing to use for the entire workout.

Example:

Do a BOSU only workout.  Everything is centered around the BOSU.  You stand on it to do your bicep curls and shoulder raises, you jump on and off of it for cardio, you squat on it, you do your pushups on it, and you do your crunches and planks on it.   You have used the BOSU ball to simplify a complex workout by maintaining focus on one type of equipment the entire time and not straying from it.

Juicing oranges

Using a potato peeler to lightly skin the colored peel off of an orange will remove the outermost layer and leave the white pulpy flesh of the rind still intact and on the orange.  This part of the rind contains a lot of nutrition that we can utilize when juicing without the bitterness contributed by the outermost peel.  If you have juiced an orange whole then you will know the bitter taste I am talking about.  This takes less time than actually peeling an orange and the shavings can be sent down the garbage disposal to cleanse your sink.

Firefighter Fitness

Check out this firefighter-inspired workout created by Houston, Texas firefighter, Rip Esselstyn.  I am following his diet known as the Engine 2 diet which is plant-based foods only.  More information can be found on his website at www.engine2diet.com

Round 1:

50 bodyweight squats
40 push-ups
100 flutter kicks (laying on back, scissoring extended legs to work lower ab region)
20 burpees

Round 2:

30 alternating front lunges
50 tricep dips
2 minute held plank
75 jumping jacks

Round 3:

20 step-ups on each leg (stepping up to something 1.5-2 feet high)
25 butt-up push-ups (do 5 push-ups and hold the last one in the up position with your butt high in the air and squeeze your abdominals for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times)
30 v-sits (crunch with simultaneous knee tuck)
35 mountain climbers

Juice of the day

Whip this up and serve over ice to create a refreshing treat on these lazy end of summer days.

This will make 3-4 servings:

4 standard size carrots
3 granny smith apples
3 valencia oranges (skin enough of the peel away to still leave white flesh)
1 cucumber
1 lemon (with peel on)
1 piece ginger
1/2 stalk celery

Add some variety to your push-up routine

As I have mentioned time and time again, one of the most beneficial body weight based exercises is the push-up.  They can be done virtually anywhere and by virtually anyone.  You can make them as easy or as hard as you would like and you can do them with emphasis on strength or emphasis on endurance.

Push-ups train the anterior chain of the body, otherwise known as the front.  Not only are the chest and triceps your primarily used muscles but the abdominal section must remain tight as well as the quadriceps to keep the body from succumbing to gravity.  It is always wise to add variations to your push-ups in order to constantly challenge the body to different degrees.

Try these variations:

-Core-powered push-ups:  10 push-ups with left leg on ground, 10 push-ups with right leg on ground, followed directly by 20 push-ups with both feet on ground.  Non-stop!

-Lateral power push-ups:  Perform your push-ups with enough power to propel your upper body and hands off of the ground each time while your toes remain in contact with the ground.  Each time your hands leave the floor your should laterally move left or right a few inches.  Perform until exhaustion.

-All-four power push-ups:  Along the same lines as the variation above.  In this variation, there is no lateral movement and your feet will lift off the ground at the same time.  Power out of your push-up and at the same time your hands will leave the ground, your feet will too.  This takes massive core control.  Perform until exhaustion.

-Alternating push-up reaches:  Pick an object roughly 3-4 feet off the ground (chair, sofa, etc) or mark a point on a wall.  Perform push-ups by reaching one arm at a time up to the specified point each time you approach the top of the push-up.  Alternate the arm that is reaching.  This variation should be performed as fast, yet controlled, as possible.  Continue until exhaustion.

Tapping into "kid energy"

If you have children, chances are they can run circles around you with their seemingly endless amounts of energy.  From wake-time to sleep-time they are on the go; whether they are playing video games, at baseball practice, playing with friends, or on the trampoline.

Energy can indeed be contagious.  Take advantage of this energy and turn it into ways of bringing your family closer. Challenge your kids to a race around the local high school track, set up a badminton tournament on a weekend involving family members, your child's friends and neighbors, go for a bike ride through the trails of a local park, create a scavenger hunt, or even set up a fitness circuit at a nearby playground utilizing some of the equipment.

Other great ideas to involve fitness into family time:

-Frisbee

-Tag

-Sit-up contests

-Tennis

-Karate

-Jogging

-Wii-Fit