If you are like me I leave my Christmas shopping to the last minute. This means that on December 24th I am empty handed, trying to find a parking spot in Yorkdale, fighting a mom of 2 for the last tickle-me-elmo in Toys R us. Not a pretty sight.
I'm going to make it easy for you this holiday season. Here is my top 10 list for Best fitness holiday gifts. Just don't leave to the last minute ok?
1.) A Foam Roller
If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your day nailed to a desk. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you usually can fit in is the workout itself. Really, who has time for daily stretching?
Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will dramatically bolster injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes post-workout to promote healing of the small micro-tears in your muscles that result from high-intensity training to jumpstart the recovery process. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows.
If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a good one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months. I get all of my foam rollers from Perform Better. My brand of choice is The EVA Premium Foam Roller (about $30), I have used it every day for the last several years and I swear by it!
2.) Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are by far the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment option in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for killer workouts that can be done anywhere. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!
In my travels, I have had the pleasure of meeting and befriending the world’s premier resistance band training expert, Dave “The Might Band Man” Schmitz. This guy is a total nut job who creates the most innovative fat loss workouts with bands that you’ll ever see. He has his own line of resistance bands that are virtually indestructible and I use them year round to crank it at home or on the road.
3.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel
You can’t beat a sporting goods store like Sportchek to get the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today. I always recommend going with a gift card here because everybody has their own preferences, particularly when it comes to clothing sizes and styles.
4.) A Gift Card to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or Other Premium Grocery Stores
Rather then waste money on an overpriced restaurant, why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer like Whole Foods to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?
I must admit, several years ago I thought Whole Foods was just for rich people or hippies, but boy was I wrong. I shop there almost exclusively these days, particularly when buying produce to avoid foods that are typically loaded with hormones and pesticides at other regular run of the mill grocery stores. The key is to go in with a budget in mind (e.g. spend $50 bucks on protein, $20 on fruits and veggies, and $10 on miscellaneous items) only buying what you need.
5.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist
Most of us are crazy busy and super stressed out during the holiday season and nothing eases the tension like a good massage. This is about as can’t miss of a gift as it gets, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. It’s nice to be pampered on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body, nothing can alleviate tension in your upper back, neck, and head like a good massage therapist!
Showing posts with label fat loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fat loss. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Goal Setting Technique that Guarantees your Success
When I talk to successful people I always like to pick their brains and ask a lot of questions. I am in the belief that success is a mindset and can be learned rather than being something somebody is automatically born with.
The one thing I am always picking up on is that successful people always know what their goals are for their lives and their businesses. They know what benchmarks they want to set and when they want to set them. They know what their goals are as if they are written on the back of their hand.
On the other hand I do talk to a lot of people on the other side of the fence: Stuck in a job they don’t like, not liking their body knowing they need to do something about it but don’t, and overall not satisfied with the way their life is going. The one thing I notice is that they don’t know what they want out of life, they don’t know what their goals are and they refuse to take an hour to even sit down and write them out.
If you have never written goals out for yourself ever or you do but want more direction, here is your chance to follow a step by step goal setting outline that is guaranteed to help you achieve your goals without fail.
The Ultimate Goal Setting System
Start today by selecting your goals!
1. Take out a sheet of paper and title it “Life’s goals” or whatever you want to call it.
2. Make a list of everything you want to accomplish in life. Ideas: Six pack abs, 9% body fat, $$$, travelling destinations, etc…
3. Convert that list into long term life goals and narrow your list down to four. Think in terms of a long-term wealth-building goal, a long-term health goal, a long-term personal-relationship goal, and a long-term personal growth and development goal. These are your top priorities, your bottom line objectives.
4. Convert those goals into 5 year mid term objectives. For example, let’s say that your long term financial goal is have a net worth of 5 million dollars. By year 5 you would have to be at a 2.5 million dollar net worth.
5. Now use the 5 year objectives and break them down into yearly objectives.
6. Take those yearly objectives and break them down into monthly bit sized objectives.
7. Then break those monthly objectives into 4 weekly goals. So if your goal is to get your body to 9% body fat then your weekly goals would be to hit the gym 3 times that week and follow your nutrition plan to an 80% compliance.
8. Finally work your way down to breaking the goals down into daily goals. So the objectives for the week would be on your to do list for the day.
Expect to spend a good chunk of time planning out your year. Once a month, you'll sit down for two or three hours to map out your goals for the next four weeks. Once a week, you'll spend one hour establishing your goals for the next seven days. And you'll spend about 30 minutes each morning organizing your day.
I know that sounds like a lot, but you're really spending no more than the equivalent of a few days a year to map out your strategy for achieving your long-term Life Goals.
This is how I establish my own goals, focus my objectives, and set daily tasks. It's not, by any means, an entirely original system. It's a patchwork of systems that have been developed by others and added to by me. But there is something about this particular system that seems to work.
It works so well, in fact, that I encourage everyone who works for me to use it. Those who do find that it works very well. I think you will too.
Go Hard Or Go Home!
DG
http://Www.GoGirlbootcamps.com
The one thing I am always picking up on is that successful people always know what their goals are for their lives and their businesses. They know what benchmarks they want to set and when they want to set them. They know what their goals are as if they are written on the back of their hand.
On the other hand I do talk to a lot of people on the other side of the fence: Stuck in a job they don’t like, not liking their body knowing they need to do something about it but don’t, and overall not satisfied with the way their life is going. The one thing I notice is that they don’t know what they want out of life, they don’t know what their goals are and they refuse to take an hour to even sit down and write them out.
If you have never written goals out for yourself ever or you do but want more direction, here is your chance to follow a step by step goal setting outline that is guaranteed to help you achieve your goals without fail.
The Ultimate Goal Setting System
Start today by selecting your goals!
1. Take out a sheet of paper and title it “Life’s goals” or whatever you want to call it.
2. Make a list of everything you want to accomplish in life. Ideas: Six pack abs, 9% body fat, $$$, travelling destinations, etc…
3. Convert that list into long term life goals and narrow your list down to four. Think in terms of a long-term wealth-building goal, a long-term health goal, a long-term personal-relationship goal, and a long-term personal growth and development goal. These are your top priorities, your bottom line objectives.
4. Convert those goals into 5 year mid term objectives. For example, let’s say that your long term financial goal is have a net worth of 5 million dollars. By year 5 you would have to be at a 2.5 million dollar net worth.
5. Now use the 5 year objectives and break them down into yearly objectives.
6. Take those yearly objectives and break them down into monthly bit sized objectives.
7. Then break those monthly objectives into 4 weekly goals. So if your goal is to get your body to 9% body fat then your weekly goals would be to hit the gym 3 times that week and follow your nutrition plan to an 80% compliance.
8. Finally work your way down to breaking the goals down into daily goals. So the objectives for the week would be on your to do list for the day.
Expect to spend a good chunk of time planning out your year. Once a month, you'll sit down for two or three hours to map out your goals for the next four weeks. Once a week, you'll spend one hour establishing your goals for the next seven days. And you'll spend about 30 minutes each morning organizing your day.
I know that sounds like a lot, but you're really spending no more than the equivalent of a few days a year to map out your strategy for achieving your long-term Life Goals.
This is how I establish my own goals, focus my objectives, and set daily tasks. It's not, by any means, an entirely original system. It's a patchwork of systems that have been developed by others and added to by me. But there is something about this particular system that seems to work.
It works so well, in fact, that I encourage everyone who works for me to use it. Those who do find that it works very well. I think you will too.
Go Hard Or Go Home!
DG
http://Www.GoGirlbootcamps.com
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Best Exercises for Rapid Fat Loss and Lean Muscle Gain
As a former fat kid who has researched every fat loss method and helped hundreds of people lose weight, I know a thing or two about exercise selection. The one question people always ask me is: What are the best exercises to burn fat AND gain muscle fast.
I’ll keep this as simple as possible for you. The best exercises for fat loss are also the best exercises for muscle gain and visa versa. These exercises all have one thing in common: they provide a UNIQUE challenge to your body AND involve as many muscles in your body as possible.
Both the scientific research and the real world case studies have shown that total body workouts are superior for maximal fat loss and muscle gain. But let’s take this one step further…
Let’s dramatically accelerate results by preferentially selecting TOTAL BODY EXERCISES within each TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! For example, squats are well known for being one of the best muscle-builders with a serious a fat-shredding effect. However, the squat goes from great to UNSTOPPABLE for changing your body for the better when you make it a combination movement by adding a row or press to each squat rep. It’s obvious that you can reap more benefits this way since you have now involved your upper body into the king of lower body exercises.
It’s as simple as the Dream Body Equation below:
Performing Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout -->
More Muscles Involved =
More Calories Burnt + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =
Greater Fat Lost + Greater Muscle Gain
I must be honest in that I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I am about to share with you. Love because of the unparalleled fat-melting, muscle-building results they provide to help maximize my sexy. Hate because they break me every single workout by leaving me in tears while in a pool of my own sweat. In other words, these are not for the weak of mind, body, or soul!
Without further adieu, here is the official top 10 list of my favorite exercises in the world for fat loss and lean muscle gain:
Exercise#1- Power Clean + Squat to Overhead Press Combo
Exercise#1- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.
Exercise#2- The Swing- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags
Exercise#3- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl etc.
Exercise#4- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, etc.
Exercise#5- The Chop- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, Bands, or Sandbags
Exercise#6- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell or Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls
Exercise#7- Dynamic Back Pillar plus 1-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Exercise#8- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press
Exercise#9- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo
Exercise#10- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL plus Row
Use these exercises in the format I explained in my last blog post and you will be burning fat, gaining muscle and enjoying your sexy body in time for your next vacation!
Remember to keep an eye on my blog for the next few days. I'll be posting a video using the top ten exercises and give you more killer exercises for those trouble areas (e.g. legs, butt, abs, chest, arms, etc.)
Go Hard Or Go Home!
DG
Www.GoGirlbootcamps.com
I’ll keep this as simple as possible for you. The best exercises for fat loss are also the best exercises for muscle gain and visa versa. These exercises all have one thing in common: they provide a UNIQUE challenge to your body AND involve as many muscles in your body as possible.
Both the scientific research and the real world case studies have shown that total body workouts are superior for maximal fat loss and muscle gain. But let’s take this one step further…
Let’s dramatically accelerate results by preferentially selecting TOTAL BODY EXERCISES within each TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! For example, squats are well known for being one of the best muscle-builders with a serious a fat-shredding effect. However, the squat goes from great to UNSTOPPABLE for changing your body for the better when you make it a combination movement by adding a row or press to each squat rep. It’s obvious that you can reap more benefits this way since you have now involved your upper body into the king of lower body exercises.
It’s as simple as the Dream Body Equation below:
Performing Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout -->
More Muscles Involved =
More Calories Burnt + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =
Greater Fat Lost + Greater Muscle Gain
I must be honest in that I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I am about to share with you. Love because of the unparalleled fat-melting, muscle-building results they provide to help maximize my sexy. Hate because they break me every single workout by leaving me in tears while in a pool of my own sweat. In other words, these are not for the weak of mind, body, or soul!
Without further adieu, here is the official top 10 list of my favorite exercises in the world for fat loss and lean muscle gain:
Exercise#1- Power Clean + Squat to Overhead Press Combo
Exercise#1- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.
Exercise#2- The Swing- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags
Exercise#3- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl etc.
Exercise#4- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, etc.
Exercise#5- The Chop- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, Bands, or Sandbags
Exercise#6- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell or Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls
Exercise#7- Dynamic Back Pillar plus 1-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Exercise#8- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press
Exercise#9- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo
Exercise#10- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL plus Row
Use these exercises in the format I explained in my last blog post and you will be burning fat, gaining muscle and enjoying your sexy body in time for your next vacation!
Remember to keep an eye on my blog for the next few days. I'll be posting a video using the top ten exercises and give you more killer exercises for those trouble areas (e.g. legs, butt, abs, chest, arms, etc.)
Go Hard Or Go Home!
DG
Www.GoGirlbootcamps.com
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