1-Minute Challenges: Test Yourself & Track Your Progress

I'm preparing a special boot camp for Labor Day Weekend!  It will consist of a series of 1-minute challenges. Not only will this be super fun :) but we'll be able to see our progress by recording our reps and then repeating the challenges in 1 month - good stuff!

If you can't make it to boot camp, you can still do some of the challenges on your own. Get a friend or family member to join you - a little competition always makes you push yourself a little harder.

Get a timer, pen & paper to record what you do, and get to it!:

1. Push Ups
2. Burpees
3. Pull Ups
4. Jump Squats
5. Side Plank w/ Hip Up & Downs: Get into a side plank, with your feet stacked, elbow under your shoulder, hip up so your body is in a straight line. Now, bring your hip down to touch the floor & then back up again. Repeat as many times as you can in 1 minute then flip over & do it on the other side
6. Single-Leg Sit Squats: Sit down on a chair and lift your left foot off the ground. Stand up using just your right leg. Keep your abs tight to keep from falling over! Keep the left leg raised and sit back down, using just your right leg. Repeat for ! minute & then do it with your left leg.

If you have access to equipment, you can do some more:

1. TRX Rows
2. Heavy Rope Slams
3. Medicine Ball Overhead Slams
4. Thrusters (Squat to DB Overhead Press): Get a pair of dumbbells that are lighter than you would normally overhead press. Holding the dumbbells, raise your arms so they form a goalpost with your head in the center—elbows in line with your shoulders, bent 90 degrees, so your hands are in line with your head; palms face forward. Squat down. As you rise up, press the dumbbells overhead. Lower them back down as you lower back down into a squat. 
5. Heavy Jump Rope or Regular Jump Rope

Got any other good ideas for a 1-minute challenge? Let me know!

Always use proper form - don't compromise form to get in extra reps. Rest after each exercise. Write down how many reps you do of each, and note any modifications (ie, don't jump at the end of the burpees; hold onto something while doing the sit squats) you make. Do this again in a month and notice your improvements!

Let me know how it goes :)

Just Take The First Step

I thought it would make sense to write my first post about taking the first step...

Have you been contemplating starting a new job, class, diet, exercise program, etc. for a while but just haven't taken any action towards that end. You're still thinking about it. Why? 

Why is that first step towards something we want to do so hard? It takes us out of our comfort zone. We're not sure if we can do it. 

Something that always makes me laugh is when I have a client do an exercise & he tells me he can't do it while he's doing it. I love pointing out that he actually can and is doing it. It highlights how important mindset is.

The likelihood is we can do it. We're just not sure we really want to do it. 

We don't know if we really want to start a new job that sounds exciting and offers us a 20% salary increase.  We're bored most of the day and want more money, but we're not sure we want to leave the job we've become so comfortable doing. We don't want to start all over again, be in an unknown environment, possibly work more hours than we are working now, not be able to come and go as we please. We're not really happy or excited doing what we're doing now, but we're comfortable.

We don't know if we really want to start the diet that promises to get us healthy, give us more energy, & help us trim down.  We feel bloated, lethargic and heavier than we were 10 years ago, but we don't know if we want to have restrictions on what we eat and drink. We don't feel great and don't fit into some of our clothes, but we're comfortable.

We don't know if we really want to start that exercise program that will give us the body we really desire, enable us to do a race or sport we've been wanting to try, & relieve pains we've been having. We see other people doing it and changing their bodies, but we don't know if we want to put in the effort, wake up early or go to the gym after work to exercise. We'd like to change, but we're comfortable.

We're comfortable now. Will the outcome be worth the effort? That depends. What's the outcome you desire? Knowing that is key. Keeping your goals in mind will give you the motivation to not only take the first step, but to keep going.

We're also scared. What if we really can't do it? What if we don't have the skills for the job, intelligence for the class, self-control for the diet, motivation to exercise? If that does turn out to be the case, we could ask for help. We could ask our new boss or colleague questions, research what we don't know, ask a friend, family member or trainer for support and motivation with our diet and exercise. Here again, keeping your goals in mind will help you move forward, even if you have to be resourceful.

As I write this, I'm fighting my comfort and fear. I was quite comfortable spending my time doing a million other things than writing a blog. And, it's certainly scary to put yourself "out there" for all the world to see and judge. But, I'm keeping my goals in mind — I hope to share things that will help, motivate, and educate people to achieve their fitness goals and lead healthier lives — and taking the first step. Now it's your turn...