Are You Powerless to Holiday Pounds?

The season of deck-your-waist-with-extra-pounds is officially here.

So what are you going to do about it?

Will you join the masses who faithfully gain 5 pounds between November and January?

Or will you do something different this year?

It is entirely possible to avoid the dreaded holiday chub by following this simple strategy:

What Really is Strength Training?

Many get strength training confused with weightlifting or muscle mass building.  The three are very different and depending on how you train, you will obtain different results.

Getting your body toned, mobile and functional is the goal of strength training.  Strength training can look like several things.  It can be lifting weights, using cable weight systems, machines, or even body movements.  The focus is on becoming stronger to enable a better quality of life.

In muscle mass building, we explored how to create larger muscles.  This does not necessarily mean that a person who has larger muscles has more of a capacity to handle everyday physical situations.

When it comes to strength training, the goal is to be able to be stronger to enable yourself to be more functional in daily activities.  This style of workout requires moves that are consistent with life.  Lifting boxes, squatting down to reach something, lifting something over your head.  Strength training will allow you to be able to achieve these things with much more ease.

When taking on this transformation, having a variety of exercises both with weights as well as aerobics and flexibility are important.  Lifting weights or doing body resistance exercises should be equal with cardiovascular training.  Do your cardio training on off strength training days.

On strength training days, work out your whole body.  Do this two to three times a week with a 24 hour span in between each workout.  Weights should be light enough to be able to do 15-20 reps per exercise.

Shoot for about one hour of training in order to get in the full body workout.  Start with your larger muscles first so that you are able to focus on the smaller muscles at the end of the workout.  If you were to do your leg exercises last, they take the most energy, and therefore you will be worn out when it came time to do them and wouldn’t have an effective leg workout.

Cycle your movements so that you are doing one leg exercise and then with minimal rest, do a chest exercise followed up with back and then cycle again to another leg exercise, chest, and then back.  Do about 2 exercises per body part so that when you are done with these you can move on to shoulders, abs, calves.  Then after that cycle, finish up with biceps, triceps, and glutes.  Then you have completed a good sequence of exercises that will also keep you constantly moving for maximum fat loss as well.

Great exercises for function are having a medicine ball in your hands and bending down and to one side and then up and your arms over your head to the other side.  Wall squats are great at isolating the quadriceps and are a great move to mimic everyday activities.  For your abdominals, use that medicine ball again and move your body side to side to work the obliques.  Grab a set of dumbbells and lift them above your head and back down to your shoulders.

There are many options when it comes to strength training and many ways to incorporate function with building a stronger body.  The combination of exercises you choose should reflect as much as possible, the way in which you live in order to be cohesive in a well rounded program.

Courtesy of Hyperstrike

Structure Fitness Recipe: Grilled Salmon & Zucchini with Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip)

1/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
1/4 cup halved grape tomatoes , or cherry tomatoes
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar , or red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 1/4 pounds wild-caught salmon fillet , (see Note), skinned and cut crosswise into 4 portions
2 medium zucchini , or summer squash (or 1 of each), halved lengthwise
Canola or olive oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley , for garnish

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Process almonds, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.
3. Coat salmon and zucchini (and/or summer squash) on both sides with cooking spray, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

4. Grill, turning once, until the salmon is just cooked through and the squash is soft and browned, about 3 minutes per side.
5. Transfer the squash to a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with half of the reserved sauce.

6. Divide the squash among 4 plates along with a piece of salmon topped with some of the remaining sauce. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

What is in Your Refrigerator?

Courtesy of Hyperstrike Online Personal Training

You may have great intentions when it comes to eating healthy, but even the best of intentions can be thwarted if what you have in your refrigerator doesn’t equate to where you are wanting to be.

The biggest challenge people face when it comes to health and wellness, believe it or not, is not exercise. It truly is eating. We are bombarded everywhere by choices of what types of food we put in our shopping cart and carry home. Even just driving to the grocery store, you will most likely pass many food venues where a quick jaunt can potentially have you choosing unhealthy options.

Life is really all about choices and if we choose in the grocery store to pick healthy foods, this is setting us up for success when we are at home. However, if we choose processed foods, we will then be left with unhealthy options in our fridge.

If you really want to be successful at health, then you need to set up your surroundings to accommodate your intentions. Without careful consideration into the food you bring in to your home, you can quite easily veer off your goal. It really is a slippery slope that can bring you down that direction.

Sometimes people have the misconception that purchasing healthy foods are more expensive than prepackaged or fast food. But this is not the case. It actually costs less as long as you know how to shop. You need to be smart and get fruits and vegetables that are in season. These are reasonably priced and so very healthy for you. It is really just a matter of being smart and taking the time to seek out these foods. You will also save money in the long run because eating healthy will lead to a healthier body and with that, less medical costs down the road.

When choosing healthy foods, you will need to make at least two trips to the store because when you purchase fresh whole foods, they do not last beyond a few days. So it does take some thinking and planning, but when it comes to your health, a little thought can go a long way.

6 Tips to Six Pack Abs

Everyone wants an awesome physique and one of the most desired areas of physical improvement is the midsection. However, many people go through attempting to sculpt those athletic 6-packs the wrong way. Here are 6 easy tips for you realize that dream of having a flatter stomach:

1. Develop the “right attitude” and approach. Fat loss is challenging and is definitely something that doesn’t happen overnight. Eliminating fatty tissue from the midsection is the most vital aspect in achieving a leaner stomach. Often, people think that they are able to develop a flat stomach just by training in the gym, performing plenty of ab work and not address other aspects of life such as adequate sleep, nutrition, rest & etc. These are individuals who haven’t established the right mindset yet. Serious attitude coupled with serious application will produce results.

2. Eat clean for lean abs. You can never enjoy the best of both worlds - Eating anything you want and having the body you desire. Eat lots of lean meat like turkey breast, lean beef and skinless chicken breasts. Try to cut down on your dairy intake. Go green! You really don’t have to fear fat. Pick health fat options like salmon, organic peanut butter and nuts. Never go on ‘a diet’ nor starve yourself. Those can be counterproductive!

3. Increase your intake of fish oil supplements. Combine fish oil supplements with fitness training. This will help you burn fat more efficiently. Fish oil enhances insulin resistance. Omega 3, an element found in fish oils, is believed to enhance insulin sensitivity which could lead to lesser fat storage and improved fat release.

4. Try to get away from liquid calories. Liquid calories may be convenient and easy to consume but would not definitely please your waistline. Try to avoid milk, sodas and fruit juices. You may have to avoid all the beer and booze as well.

5. Try to train metabolically and not aerobically. Create a form of metabolic disturbance by doing high intensity anaerobic exercises such as Fitness Boot Camp, circuit training, interval training, moderate resistance training or sprinting.

6. Establish athletic abdominal exercises/routines for stronger six pack abs. Include exercises that help improve your spine’s mobility and other anti rotational exercises like barbell overhead squats and y-squats.