You know the routine. You’ve been busy all day either attending school, working or taking care of the kids. The last thing on your mind is going through a workout.  All you want to do is relax and unwind. If you’re overweight the effects of a busy day can wear you down even more than your thinner counterparts. 

So how do you make exercise a daily priority?

I have tried to make it a part of my daily routine as so many experts have recommended. For the most part it does help, but I’ve found that it just became one of my many tasks that I didn’t want to do.  Currently I workout 4 days a week 30-60 minutes per session. I have been able to stick to it because I have made exercise a part of my unwinding and relaxing time. Now I look at it as time just for me to do what I want to do and not what I have to do.

The secret is to make it fun and competitive.

Find a physical activity that you enjoy doing like walking, running, biking or even lifting weights and set a realistic goal for that session. It could be anything from the amount of calories you burn to how fast you can complete a set distance.

For example my exercise of choice is running. I have 2 routes a 5 kilometer one and a 10 kilometer one. On each run I set a goal time to beat. (23 or 50 minutes). It’s an awesome feeling to beat or even reach that goal. It keeps me motivated and I look forward to beating that new time on my next workout session.

Cutting out the excuses

There are so many excuses that can trip you up. “I’m too tired, the gym is too far away, my favorite TV show is on or it’s raining outside” are some of my favorites. All of these can stop your momentum, but can be easily overcome. Here are some simple ways to counter those excuses:

1.) Change into your workout clothes right after dinner.

2.) Set a time to meet with a workout buddy. You’re less likely to skip it if you have someone else waiting on you.

3.) Use your Tivo, PVR or VCR and record your favorite TV shows and watch them on your rest days.

4.) Who says you need a gym to workout. Put on a workout video, run the stairs or do some body weight exercises. 

5.) Work out in the morning as a great start to your day.

My favorite excuse is I’m too tired to workout. There is no better cure for low energy than a good 20-30 minute walk/jog. Motion creates energy and increases the oxygen flow to your brain, essentially waking it up.

Regular exercise can improve your overall health, add years to your life, improve your  self-confidence and make you look and feel better. So good luck and get moving.

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Fortunately for those of us with big bellies and skinny wallets can find a ton of really great workout videos online for FREE

Below are some good videos that I’ve found. You really need to wade though a lot of crappy videos to find a few diamonds in the rough on youtube, these are all good, watch the videos, subscribe to their channels and get fit

Enjoy and hopeful you can mix and match the videos to create your own total body exercise plan.

10-Minute Cardio Kickboxing Workout by Coach Nicole from Sparkpeople.com
View her youtube Channel here: sparkpeople

Bex Life: 300 Rep Superhero Workout Cardio
View her youtube Channel here::genghisgirl

Destorm: The Best Home Workout – Exercise Routine
View his youtube Channel here: DeStorm

Leehayward: Complete Chest Workout
View his youtube Channel here: Leehayward

Homeworkoutroutines: Intense Home Ab Workout
View his Youtube Channel here: Homeworkoutroutines

EmpowerYourBody: Sexy Arm Routine
View her youtube channel here: EmpowerYourBody

Brides Made Fit: The Really, Really Good Leg Workout
View Her youtube channel here: Brides Made Fit

This video is by Craig Ballantyne creator of the Turbulence Training Program. He has done a ton of work for Men’s Health Magazine and really knows his stuff.

cbathletics: Great Upper Back Workout
View his youtube channel here: cbathletics

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Just a quick post to let everyone know about some big savings on fitness, weight loss and workout DVD’s at Amazon.com going on now until January 24th.

There are over 200 fitness titles on sale for up to 50% by some of the biggest names in the industry. I have listed them by groups and a few titles that I like. They are only on sale for another 13 days or while supplies last.

You’re saving $6-$10 per DVD and you don’t even have to dig through the discount DVD bins at Wal-mart (Come on I know I’m not the only one who’s done that before)

The Biggest Loser Workout DVD’s
-The 30 Day Jumpstart
-Power Sculpt
-Cardio Max
-Bootcamp
-Weight loss Yoga
-Last Chance Workout

View all Biggest Loser DVD’s on Sale Here

Jillian Michael’s DVD’s
-30 Day Shred (Excellent)
-No More Trouble Zones
-Banish Fat, Boost Metabolisim

View All of Jillian’s Titles on Sale Here

10 Minute Solution

There are over 21 titles in this series on sale here are just a few:

-Fitness Ball Workouts
-5 Day Get Fit Mix
-Blast Off Belly Fat
-Rapid Results Pilates
-Fat Blasting Dance Mix
-Target Toning For Beginners
-Kickbox Bootcamp with Keli Roberts – (I could take her )
-Quick Tummy Toners
-Plus 13 other titles. One thing is for sure, the producers of these videos are not fond of fat!

View All the 10 Minute Solution Titles On Sale Here

I’m not going to go into anymore detail, you get the idea. Great titles, Big savings and they are all eligible for free shipping (if you spend $25 I think).

Check Out All the Fitness DVD Titles on Sale (Including Denise Austin and Kathy Smith) Here

Please note that these link to amazon.com and I receive a small commission from any items that you purchase, just so you know

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Many people get bored while running and have a hard time keeping their minds “occupied”, myself included. A great way to fight this is listening to music and singing along with it. (if you are at the gym keep it in your head, lol )

Just google “running music” and you’ll get thousands of sites offering different mixes and playlists, most are listed by BPM (beats per minute) which is convenient if you are looking for pace based workouts. I look at it differently though.

My Ipod is filled with different playlists organized by genre and not BPM. Each genre is best suited for my different moods and how energetic I feel before I workout. For example If I’m in an angry mood or just feeling pissed at myself for missing a previous workout, eating too much etc.. I put on the Hip-Hop or more specifically the Gangster rap. I generally don’t like the content but the beats and over all tone of the music just gets me pumped. (P.S I’m the whitest guy you’ll ever meet).

Tonight I was in a good mood, had a good amount of energy and just wanted to enjoy the run. For that kind of mood I go with either the Dance/techno songs or the Classic rock. It was classic rock night.

Great Songs for Running

Here are just a few of the songs that got me going and yes I know most of these are from the Rock Band games.

Mississippi Queen – Great for singing along with, 3 minutes gone and didn’t even notice it.

Hair of the Dog (Nazerth) – I like to visualize myself gaining on people while running a 5k and saying “now your messing with a son of a bitch” that and I like making the guitar noises half way through the song

Spirit in the Sky – I’m not religious, I just like singing “gotta have a friend in Jesus” or Allah as my Muslim says. I dare you to singing it without smiling.

Stranglehold – Ted Nugent – The drums and guitar just put me in a better mood, that and I like to imagine me getting my fat self in a stranglehold and giving him crap for not doing more to get the weight off sooner.

Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty – Great song for the last 5-10 minutes when you’re tired and feel like hitting the stop button. The line, “hey baby there ain’t no easy way out” is perfect and fits with my whole weight loss philosophy.

Spoonman – Soundgarden – Not exactly “Classic rock” but it has a great beat, plus I kick ass at rock band on this song and have the rhythm down perfectly. I literally finished my cool down listening to this while playing the air guitar and air drums.

Those are a few of my favorites I have a ton more of 90′s rock, Dance, Techno, etc… sorry no R&B or Country music on the ipod I rather listen to a 45 minute track of screaming babies over that stuff

The whole point of this is that I had fun while exercising by singing along and getting into the music the 45 minutes flew by. It was actually more like 50 minutes because I wanted to hear free falling one last time.

So I want to know what is in your Ipod and what are your favorite running/workout songs. Maybe I can add some new stuff.

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That all changed on May 12th when I decided to play in a pick up basketball game after work with some friends. I played for literally 2 minutes before I got injured. 2 MINUTES!!!

Now I have a torn MCL and I have to go through 5 weeks of Physio Therapy just to be able to walk properly again. I’m also wearing a range of motion brace to keep my knee stable.

For the past week I have been sitting and laying down and more sitting and more laying. So this begs the question how do you lose weight while you are injured? Since I have a leg injury I can’t do my usual cardio workouts, running and jump training. So how am I suppose to burn calories? Weight training is very limited no leg workouts and other upper body exercises surprisingly depend heavily on your legs for stability Push ups, dips rows etc…

This has thrown my whole routine off and I need your advice.

What should I be doing exercise wise to keep up the weight loss or at least prevent any weight gain until I’m back to normal? How have you worked around your injuries in the past?

I don’t mean to come off as being a complainer, injuries happen I’m just frustrated and anxious to get moving again. Please leave your comments.

Thx
Steve

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NOTE: This was originally posted in March 2008, the funny thing is that I have changed my mind a little on this I now believe that Diet is a bit more effective. Live and learn right?

When making the change to a healthy lifestyle it can all seem overwhelming. Many of us have been inactive for years and the thought of heavy sweating, muscle soreness and the time commitments associated with working out can be enough to turn anyone away from doing it.

On the diet side of the equation it doesn’t look any easier. You’ll need to stop eating the high fat, high sugar foods that have become a daily part of your life. Then replace them with fruit and veggies and lean cuts of meat. Blah.

The combination of the two will undoubtedly change your body and drastically improve your overall health. But that is not easy to do all at once. I think that it’s easier to concentrate on just one part in the beginning.

So which one is more effective?

Almost all the advice I’ve read or received on this say diet is the most important. Changing your diet can be amazingly effective but I’d have to say that focusing on exercise is the way to go.

Exercise is easier to start and stick with hands down. When you finish a workout you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride. Can you say that about finishing a salad?

The most amazing thing about setting up an exercise program first is that it will almost force you to want to eat healthier food. Your body will begin to crave water instead of sugary drinks and fruit instead of chips and chocolate. It sounds crazy but I’ve seen it happen to even the most hardened junk food addict.

On top of this you will notice changes in your energy levels good and bad which is a great motivator. If you’re not eating properly you’ll notice that your workouts will suffer and you’ll feel tired, all day. That will ultimately lead to you looking for ways to fuel yourself instead of just filling yourself.

I’ve found that healthy eating doesn’t necessarily encourage or motivate you to exercise.

Final Thought

To sum it up when you feel like a complete lifestyle change is too much to handle all at once, choose exercise first and add the diet after.

Let me know what you think. Which do you think is more effective?

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This is another question that I hear quite a bit. There are a lot of differences of opinion by everyone on just how much exercise you need and how often you should be doing it.

To address this properly you need to first define what exercise means to you. Is it a simple walk, a long run, high intensity interval training (HIIT), or something more like a personal training session.

What are your Goals?

You need to clearly know what your goals are. What is it that you’re trying to acheive by exercising? Is it to lose weight, gain strength, add muscle, burn calories or just maintain what you have.

Once you know what your target is you can start to customize an exercise schedule for yourself.

Different Levels of Intensity

Not all activities are created equal. Some are more intense (Strength Training) and some are very moderate (walking). Intensity is really a key factor in determining how many times a week you should be exercising.

What the Government Recommends

In school we where taught to exercise for 3 days a week at 30 minutes per session. Since it was backed by the government that’s what was pushed on us. Since about 2005 though they have revised their recommendations to the following:

Exercise as part of living an overall healthy lifestyle.

Endurance Activities: (4-7 days a week)

* walking
* golfing (without a ride-on cart)
* yard and garden work
* propelling a wheelchair (“wheeling”)
* cycling
* skating
* continuous swimming
* tennis
* dancing

Flexibility Activities: (4-7 days a week)

* gardening
* mopping the floor
* yard work
* vacuuming
* stretching exercises
* T’ai Chi
* golf
* bowling
* yoga
* curling
* dance

Strength Activities: (2- 4 days a week)

* heavy yard work, such as cutting and piling wood
raking and carrying leaves
* lifting and carrying groceries (not to mention infants and toddlers!)
* climbing stairs
* exercises like abdominal curls and push-ups
* wearing a backpack carrying school books
* weight/strength-training routines

Source

So how many days should you exercise per week?

This is what I recommend for weight loss:

Strength Training – 3-4 Days per week.

You need a solid training routine that will effectively work the major muscle groups. You can achieve this with or without the use of weights. Body weight exercises are very efficient and effective.

Building muscle will increase the amount of calories that you can burn while at rest, which you’ll need. As you lose weight your body’s need for calories at rest (BMR) will naturally decrease. Believe it or not but that fat on your body consumes calories just to keep it there. The less fat you have the less calories you need.

Cardio (Aerobic exercise) – 2-3 Days per week.

Cardio is great for burning calories and getting rid of the extra weight. You don’t need to spend hours at it though. I have been doing HIIT twice a week in addition to my Sunday morning runs.

Aerobic exercise isn’t restricted to running/jogging type of exercises. You can do Kenpo, Tae Bo, or other Martial arts styles of exercise. Joining a spinning class or just going out for a good steady paced bike ride will also do it.

Final Note

Basically I think you need 5 days a week of exercise at a minimum to really lose the weight quickly. If you are just starting out it’s ok to build up to this for the first few weeks. Anything less and the results will take much longer to appear.

I am currently using P90X as my workout guide. It incorporates all 3 types of exercise nicely into 60 to 90 minute videos that you can do at home. Their schedule is 6 days a week with 1 day rest and it is intense.

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Ok, so I have decided to take the plunge and start the P90X workout program. I am coming to the end of my current workout routine at the gym and it’s time to mix it up a bit.

For those that don’t know what P90X is, it’s a home workout program designed by trainer Tony Horton. The system consists of 12 workouts (listed below) a diet plan and a workout calender. You can see the sales pitch HERE.

I was very fortunate in the fact that I didn’t have to pay for the program. A friend of mine purchased it several months ago and just never really kept up with it. I traded it to for my Abs Diet book. It retails for $119.95 so I’m happy with the savings.

I’ve had a chance to watch all of the workouts, read some reviews, watch the infomercial (I have it PVR’d) and look over the diet plan, which I will not be following. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it’s just that they really like to promote their own power bars and shakes.

There are 3 phases to P90X nutrition plan:

Phase 1 – Fat Shredder:
Focused on High protein meal plan designed to help give you strength and “shred” your fat.

Phase 2 – Energy Boost:
A little more balanced meal plan where you get to add some complex carbs back into your diet.

Phase 3 – Endurance Maximizer
Much more focus on complex carbs, pretty moderate protein and fat intakes.

Nothing groundbreaking here but it fits with the overall theme of changing things often. I will be following something similar but more based on my own likes and dislikes. I already eat a lot of protein rich foods so I’ll be focusing on cut back on the carbs and saturated fat.

What equipment to you need?

Other than the DVD’s themselves you’ll need to get the following:

* Good quality yoga mat or a rubber mat.

* Dumbbells with a decent amount of weight (10-30 lbs) or resistance bands.

* A Chair or a Stool.

* A chin up/pull up bar (this can be difficult to obtain, depending on your living arrangements)

Here is a picture of my homemade pull up bar. You can buy doorway pull up bars that are just as effective. Here is an example
. Mine is very crude but for $20 it gets the job done.

The 12 At Home Workouts:

These are the 12 workouts that come with the program:

* Chest and Back
* Plyometrics
* Shoulders and Arms
* Yoga X
* Legs and Back
* Kenpo X
* X Stretch
* Core Synergistics
* Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
* Back and Biceps
* Cardio X
* Ab Ripper X

None of them look even remotely easy. But that is the whole point of this program. To work yourself hard and push your body to be the best it can be. To coin their slogan you need to “Bring It” and man do I plan to.

Who else is doing P90X?

I want to know who else out there is doing P90X? Have you tried it already and if so was it all you thought it would be? Let me know your thoughts and wish me luck. By the looks of the Ab Ripper X workout I think I’ll need it.

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My new favorite weight loss related show is the Last 10 pounds bootcamp on Slice TV.

It’s a Canadian show based out of Vancouver. The program is geared towards women and its goal is to help them get rid of that last 10 pounds and into a new thinner outfit.

Here is an excerpt from their site www.theeyes.ca/tenpounds

“The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp propels women through an intense fitness and nutrition regimen that dramatically resizes
them in record time. Motivated by a special event (an upcoming wedding, anniversary, vacation, or reunion) participants strive to
transform themselves physically and mentally in just four weeks. Their mission: to lose weight. Their target: to fit into a sexy
new outfit.”

It’s hosted by professional CFL football player Tommy Europe as the personal trainer. Tommy puts these ladies through some very tough workouts. He doesn’t hold back and doesn’t let them quit. Check out his personal trainer site at www.13hitz.net

His co-host is former CFL cheerleader and certified trainer Nadeen Boman. She is the nutritional expert. Nadeen basically cleans out all of the participants cupboards, fridges and freezers, since no one has any healthy food at home. Then arms them with the proper healthy foods they need to achieve their goal. You can contact her through her own site at www.firmbodyfitness.com

Why do I like it so much?

Because the methods they use get results. Most women end up losing more than the 10 pounds and are in noticeably better shape. The workouts are intense and the food is healthy and nutritious. Also, I have yet to see any over hyped product placements (ala Biggest Loser) which I really respect.

Each episode is loaded with great tips and facts on various foods and exercises. They’re all very practical and easily incorporated into your current workout/nutrition plan.

Now I only have 2 problems with this show:

1. – I’d like to see more targeting for the males that have that last 10 pounds to lose.

2. – Exposure. This is a great show that is not only entertaining, but very motivational and informative. It can be seen on Slice TV in Canada but that’s it.

I would like to see more web coverage too, maybe an online fitness and nutritional program. I’d really like to see a bootcamp style workout DVD that people can use at home. (i.e me)

You can watch the full episodes via streaming videos at Slice.ca.

Anyway check them out and let me know what you think.

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There are many similarities between blogging and exercising. For example:

1. Finding time to commit to both can be challenging, and fitting it into your day is not always possible.

2. If you neglect either one for a long period of time. The odds increase that your body or your site will die sooner than you expected it to.

3. The more often you do them the quicker you will see the results you’re looking for.

Those are just a few that I like, but the real connection between exercising and blogging is this. Blogging right after you exercise will increase the creativity and quality of your posts. Also the overall tone will tend to be more up beat and positive.

Now I am only basing this on my own blogging experience and a few other fellow bloggers. Here is why I think it works. Exercise gets the blood flowing to your brain and stimulates the release of endorphins, as well as serotonin which alters your mood in a good way.

Not to mention the fact that you’re doing something good for yourself and that can immediately boost your confidence and inspire you.

Some of my best ideas actually come when I’m right in the middle of a run or bike ride. Your body is in what is known as a “peak state” and it’s easier to focus your thoughts on something other than what you are doing at that moment.

As a blogger I sit a lot and with that comes some unwanted side effects like a sore back and wrists as well as the odd leg pain. You can combat these by doing some stretches, push-ups, knee-ups or jumping jacks every 30 minutes or so.

If that doesn’t appeal to you then a simple 5 minute brisk walk will do the trick.

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