Year of Success: Part Deux

If you know me, you know that I don't make resolutions, I make a new years theme. It's an overarching idea to live by to keep me going throughout the year, rather than something small that I know will only hold steadfast for maybe a month or two. For example, instead of making a resolution such as "in 2013, I will lose 5 pounds" my theme is "2013: The Year of Success." In fact, that was my theme last year. I wanted 2012 to be the year of success. I wanted it to be the year I became what I had been putting out into the universe for so long. I wanted to achieve all of my wildest dreams and put the drive I had been sitting on for so long into action. But now when I look back when hindsight is 20/20, I realize I needed to get rid of all of the stuff that was holding me back to truly make my life successful in a way that I felt good about. I wasn't ready to be as successful in all areas of my life in the way I know I can be, because I had to clear the old to make way for the new.  So, now 2012 has become the "Year of Closure" and 2013 has turned into "The Year of Success: Part Deux."

Remember how the world was supposed to end according to the Mayans this December? Of course you do! I really think a part of it did end for a lot of people. I know it did for me. I have been in this 6 year cycle where I have been learning, I've been humbled, and I've grown. I believe that 2012 was the end of the shoveling crap phase of my life, and now it's time for me to bloom. It's time for success. And it's time for joy!  I have a feeling that the Mayans knew what they were going for when the calendar ended and it didn't involve meteorite showers or giant locusts taking us away--they saw it as a time of the death of the current collective subconscious and a time for rebirth in 2013. Or they were just tired and 2012 seemed as good a time as any to shut calendar counting down. Either way, I'm feeling refreshed and renewed this year, coincidence or not.

As far as my fitness goes, I just started doing the INSANITY workout plan and I cut out alcohol for the entire month of January.  I'm already feeling a little slimmer and a more fit with each day that passes. Even if it's just mental, that's all I need for now! In the non-fitness parts of my life, I have decided to really push the acting part of my career and give it one more go to commit to making my dreams come true. My 2011 theme, "Year Without Fear" is still kicking in the background and I'm making strides where I haven't before. I challenge you to do the same. If you can't think of a theme of your own, take mine and make 2013 the most successful one yet. Try a new workout program; cut crap from your diet that you know isn't doing you any favors; add more nutritious foods into your diet to help your body work better; and as cheesy as it sounds, believe in yourself to make the changes you haven't made due to fear, insecurity, or whatever else, so that you can be a better you. But most of all, BE WELL!

Your Autumn Outdoor Workout!

As temperatures drop and fall is settling in, my workouts change just like my wardrobe. Fall is without a doubt my most favorite season. I love the crisp air, the smell of the leaves as they drop from the trees, and when it comes to my exercise routine, I feel like a superstar when I don't have to contend with the heat and humidity the summer brings. Besides the standby outdoor workouts--walking, running, biking--there's a lot you can do to spice up your routine and enjoy the Autumn colors and crisp air, i.e. the following workout I've created just for you!

Here are 4 exercises you can do in a park, in your back yard, or on a jogging trail. It will take you about 30 minutes to complete, and with this high intensity training, that’s all you need to get results! You’ll perform these exercises using the ladder technique. That is, you’ll start with high reps and slowly work your way down to lower reps. In this particular workout, you’ll perform each exercise in a circuit (do each exercise one after the other without rest), starting with 16 reps, and then going down the “ladder” to 14 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, and ending with 6 reps. Between each circuit, take a 60 second rest to jog in place or march in place. And since you'll be outside, you can take those 60 seconds to run or speed walk to another spot in the park or down the running trail. Switch up your scenery!

1)   Squat-thrusts: Start standing with your arms over-head; then put your hands down on the ground to kick your feet back into a push-up position; perform one push-up; jump your feet back into your hands; stand up; repeat.

2)   Walking Lunges: Sink your weight centrally and make sure that both knees are bent at 90 degrees while walking forward. Watch that your knees don't jut forward in front of your toes.

3)   Mountain Climbers: While in a push-up position, bring one knee into your chest at a time and alternate legs. This is a fast action exercise so try to keep up the pace! Time yourself in seconds for this one. Start with 30 seconds, and move down the ladder to 25, 20, 15, 10 and then again for another 10 seconds.

4)   Walking squats: Just like the lunges but in a squat. You’ll step one foot out to the side in a squat and then bring the feet together. Stay down in the squat the whole time, and make sure that you’re weight is pushing into your heels, not your toes.

You can also move this workout into your apartment/house if you come across a rainy day or just want to stick indoors. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment! Enjoy this high intensity workout and BE WELL!

Dvd-It on Vacation

Can you picture doing your workout in a hut?

This summer, you might be headed on some vacations with family or friends, and you don't have a lot of time to fit a workout in, or have access to a gym to facilitate said workout. A great option to keep up with your fitness goals is to take advantage of the fitness dvd. The dvd provides a wide array of options for workouts that you can do with simple access to a dvd player or your laptop. If you do bring your laptop with you on your trip, you can download a slew of workouts to itunes as well, which cuts down on the space that the dvd takes up in your carry-on.

When choosing your fitness dvd there are some guidelines you should stick to, to make the dvd workable for your vacation.

1) You must make sure that little or no equipment is necessary to perform the workout. If there are a lot of free-weights, pull-up bars, stability balls, etc. required to perform the workout, you won't get anything done in the confines of your hotel room. If you can throw some exercise tubing in your bag or you don't mind 3 lb weights in your suitcase, that's an option, otherwise, this needs to be body weight friendly.

2) Time is of the essence. When you're on vacation, you're probably not going to have the time nor the desire to do a long workout. You want a workout that will be quick, intense, and effective. Nowadays, a lot of workouts are tailored towards this kind of time effective training, so you can decide to do a portion of the workout in as little as 20 minutes, or complete the whole thing in an hour. Vacations can be few and far between, so you don't want your workout to feel like it's cutting into precious holiday time.

3) Make sure you can perform the workout in a small space. Most fitness dvd's are created so you can perform the workout in your living room, but you still need to make sure that you aren't going to have to cover distance to perform the exercises provided. We're talking small hotel room. It needs to be travel friendly.

Here are my top 3 recommendations for fitness dvd's that cover all of the criteria listed above:

• Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism-- This workout covers all three of the guidelines for a perfect fitness dvd. There is absolutely no equipment required, you can choose to do the full 45 minute workout, or break it up into time sensitive circuits, and you don't need a ton of space to do this workout. Done! Get it at amazon.com.

• Billy Blanks: Tae Bo--If you know me, you know I love Billy Blanks and I love Tae Bo. Billy has been kickin' it for 35+ years with this workout, and he's still cranking out new dvd's. You can actually find some of his videos on youtube, but be a sport and support by purchasing from his website. Most of his dvd's do not require any equipment, but some have been known to use "Billy Bands" so double check before purchasing. Even if the exercises do require bands, they can easily be packed in a suitcase, but a workout without equipment is preferable. Billy also offers short 30 minute workouts and in some of his newer workouts, you can break them down so they can be shorter or longer, depending on your time constraints.

• Jillian Michaels: Kickbox Fastfix--(yes, another Jillian gem) I recently blogged about this dvd and I'm pretty crazy about it. I used it a couple times as my workout of choice on a trip home to Chicago last week, and I was sweating my butt off in my hotel room.  Since I downloaded it on itunes and I had my laptop with me, it was a piece of cake to get my workout in. Jillian breaks this 60 minute workout into three 20 minute workouts that are intense enough to be the one and only workout you need for the day. The only downside is the small amount of equipment that you need for the first workout that focuses on arms, but really, only a few exercises require hand weights, and you can fudge it without them. Or you can do what I did and focus on the last two workouts of the series where no equipment is required at all. It was still 40 minutes of high intensity fun, and I was wiped by the end of it.

Don't let your fitness goals get blindsided by your vacation or use your holiday away as an excuse to fall off the wagon. It's easy to get your workouts in where ever you go, even in the hut pictured above. I promise that you'll feel great physically and mentally when you're done. Get on it and Be Well!