Slim People in Progress

If You Think You Can or Think You Can't You're Probably Right…

2009-11-08T07:30:00-08:00

If You Think You Can or Think You Can't You're Probably Right...
By Rachel Cosgrove, Author of The Female Body Breakthrough

I was working out and I had a set of 10 box jumps at the end of my workout.I did the first set of these no problem, flew up and landed softly on the box. Then the second set, I did one and my office manager came around the corner and said, "Show off! I couldn't jump to that box. I have a mental block."

I said to her- "It is completely in your head. You must be thinking that you can't do it so of course you can't do it." Then I... with the thought of, "you must have been thinking that you can't do it..." in my head go to jump on the box and completely miss by not jumping high enough and practically tripping myself.

My office manager thought is was hilarious but I thought it was such an amazing lesson that you have to have your mindest right when you head into a workout. If you have negative thoughts floating around in your head while you are working out, every rep you do you will not do as well as you can. Now it is obvious on a jump like this but it may not be so obvious on a lunge or a row but if your mind is not giving that movement 100% and doing everything to focus and lift as much with perfect form as you can you will be cheating yourself out of better results. Interesting isn't it?

I think it was Henry Ford who said, "If you think you can or you think you can't you are probably right..." So true!

So I want to challenge you to enter in to each workout with a focus and attitude of challenging yourself to see what CAN you do. Keep focused, positive thoughts in your head and get the most out of every rep leading to a more effective workout, more calories burned and faster results!

About the Author
Rachel Cosgrove is the author of The Female Body Breakthrough (published by Rodale November 2009) and is a fitness professional who specializes in getting women of all ages into the best shape of their lives. She owns and operates Results Fitness with her husband in Santa Clarita, Ca. She has a BS in Exercises Physiology and earned her CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has competed in fitness competitions, triathlons and powerlifting. She has also been featured in Women's Health Magazine, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Men's Health, Men's Fitness and Oxygen. For more information on Rachel visit www.rachelcosgrove.com.

The 10-50 Bodyweight Blitz Home Workout

2009-11-06T07:28:00-08:00

I've been receiving terrific guest articles to share with you and this one is no exception. Guest blogger Daniel Munday, from Australia, shares a great workout today (video demonstration included).

The 10-50 Bodyweight Blitz Home Workout

This workout utilises nothing but your own bodyweight - and is possibly one of the toughest bodyweight workout challenges that I have ever come up with.

So the warning is that it's definitely not for beginners!

If you are a bit short of a gallop but have a training base you could do the workouts and do half of the designated repetitions or just do what you can, have a rest and then keep going for as much as you can do.

Your challenge would be to be able to work up over time to being able to do the entire workout as it is designed. That is all at once with as little rest as possible.
The 10 in the 10-50 refers to 10 different bodyweight exercises that work each and every muscle in your body.

The 50 refers to the amount of repetitions that you are required to do. That is 50 total repetitions at once for each exercise. Ideally with as little (none preferably) rest as possible.

By the time you have finished the entire workout you would have worked each and every muscle in your body many times over and you should be totally wiped and exhausted.

Advanced trainers should complete this workout in 20 minutes or less. That should be your eventual goal time.

So what is this so called beast of a workout?

Check it out:

1) T Push Ups
2) Squat Jumps
3) Hand Walks
4) Stick Ups
5) Split Squats Left Leg
6) Split Squats Right Leg
7) Russian Twists
8) Diamond Push Ups
9) Glute Bridge March (25 each leg - 50 total)

10) Sprinters Shuffles (25 each leg - 50 total)

You can see a video demonstration of each of these bodyweight blitz workouts here. Or watch the video below:

So, what are you waiting for? Don?t be shy and give it a go if you are brave?

About the Author: Daniel Munday is a Bodyweight Transformation expert based in Sydney, Australia. He has created a FREE community site that is devoted entirely to bodyweight training and home exercises. You can even get a free 6 week bodyweight workout program. Check out http://www.homeworkoutexercises.ning.com for more details

Fitness Bloggers on Twitter

2009-11-05T16:59:14-08:00

Who are your favorite fitness and weight loss bloggers?

I'm starting a list on twitter to highlight people (on twitter) who write about health, fitness and weight loss. So far I have a couple of colleagues on the list and I'd love to know who else I should include.

Here's my twitter fitness blogger list.

If you know someone (or yourself!) who should be on this list, please post their name and twitter URL in the comments below. Make sure to include the entire link so I can quickly click through to add them to the list (i.e. like this: http://twitter.com/DeniseWakeman).

I look forward to learning about some great people from you!

The Baby Fat Diet - Review

2009-11-03T06:51:00-08:00

Reviewer Sandi Lee joins us for a new book review...The Baby Fat Diet. While I'm not a mother, nor a mother-to-be, I know there are many out there and this book could come in handy.

The Baby Fat Diet

Eating for two? Did you know:

...a few hundred extra calories from healthy foods is all the "extra" you actually need.

...an occasional small piece of chocolate won't do you any harm - in fact, one study showed that women who ate a little chocolate every day while pregnant had happier babies than those who didn't!

...According to a study at St. George's Hospital in London, the scent of vanilla helps curb the appetite (Chapter 1 of The Baby Fat Diet).

So you've had your sweet little bundle of joy. You're elated, exhausted and - still look like you're pregnant. Some post-pregnancy weight is to be expected, but you probably are anxious to get that old body back (or at least a close proximity to your old weight). But where does one start? There's always some fad diet or another that promises quick results with minimum effort, however, these can be ineffective and sometimes unhealthy.
The Baby Fat Diet, by Monica Bearden, RD and Shara Aaron, MS, RD is a practical guide to losing those extra baby pounds and keeping them off. Designed for the busy mom, this book has 34 short chapters, plus an entire chapter (35) dedicated just to "Your ready-to-go grocery list for all the Baby Fat Diet essentials."

In addition, each chapter has quick "fabulous facts,' and ends with "baby fat tips" and a lined section to write down what changes you plan to make from what you've read in that chapter. There's even an entire chapter (33) that gives you easy-to-follow sample menus for 1600-2400 calories per day, along with their nutritional analysis.

The Baby Fat Diet leaves nothing out and is the one book you'll want to read cover to cover and keep handy for a quick reference. From facts about vitamins and minerals, organic foods, your metabolism and portion sizes, reading food labels, to helping you choose (and look forward to) eating properly, this book is "tailor-made for a woman with demands on her coming in every direction. It's flexible and easy to follow" (Chapter 30). You also don't need to be pregnant or have just given birth to read this book. The information is good, practical, sound advice that will work for anyone: mom, mother-to-be or somewhere in between.

The Baby Fat Diet can be purchased online and at most major book stores.

About the Author: Sandie Lee a freelance writer, reviewer, interviewer and blogger. She loves non-fiction writing for kids and has several articles published. Check out her blog: Sandie-Lee. Live it. Love it. Write it

From Fat to Fit - Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction

2009-10-27T17:40:18-07:00

Following is a guest post, actually a guest book review, by Sandi Lee...

Fat Facts:

Nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight
Obese adults have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death
17 percent of adolescents and 19 percent of children age six to eleven are overweight. (From Fat to Fit-Foreward)

It's bad enough having to go on a diet. Most of us are faced with this dilemma at least once in our lives. We quietly vow to watch our caloric intake as we "try" to exercise more. Now imagine, if you can, making this decision and having an entire front page of your local newspaper cover your diet story, including reporting on all those personal, secretive details - like your current weight and measurements. Plus, this same newspaper would also do a weekly feature tracking your progress. YIKES!!

Carole Carson knows exactly how this feels: she was the dieter being tracked. "I tried to grasp the implications. Everyone - my neighbours, my friends downtown, everyone! - would know my measurements and weight…"

However, the publicity didn't stop Carole. In fact she embraced the challenge to loose 40 pounds before her 60th birthday (16 weeks away). Carole said, "I would expose my ups and downs, my progress and lapses, my measurements and weight and even my thoughts as I reinvented myself…" (excerpt From Fat to Fit).

Carole Carson's journey isn't one of a typical dieter, but it is extraordinary. Discover how her simple decision to loose some weight turned into a county-wide "Meltdown" fitness craze in, From Fat to Fit.

This book details Carole's own personal progress, her tactics in losing the weight and keeping it off as well as the Nevada County Meltdown phenomenon. From Fat to Fit was an inspirational and motivational read. So much so I have rededicated myself to losing those few extra "stubborn" pounds and becoming more fit and active. And, with the winter months fast approaching, I challenge my fellow "couch-potatoes" to do the same.

To get inspired, pick up a copy of From Fat to Fit, by Carole Carson. It's available at all book stores or visit her web site for more inspiration and information.

About the Author: Sandie Lee a freelance writer, reviewer, interviewer and blogger. She loves non-fiction writing for kids and has several articles published. Check out her blog: Sandie-Lee. Live it. Love it. Write it