My favourite Kickboxing workout!

I've done quite a few kickboxing workouts by far and my favorite is 10 Minute Solution: Kickbox Bootcamp. Taught by Keli Roberts, a renown Aussie trainer. This workout is broken up into 5 10 minute segments that can be done as single workouts, mixed and matched or put together for a killer workout 50 minute workout. The first segment introduces you to the punches and kicks you will be using through out Keli's training, the second is focused on working your legs and butt. Third works your arms as well as back forth is a killer all round cardio boot camp workout and last works your core.

In Basic Training Keli is fabulous at how she instructs and explains each movement that you will be using. Jabs, cross punches, front back and side kicks warm you up for the tougher segments if you so chose to proceed. This is perfect for beginners to learn the moves of kickboxing. Ultimate Buns and Thighs is where you'll definitely use those legs to kick and lounge through some calories. Keli incorporates weights to add some challenge and to take it up a notch. She also gives you some more advanced options if you chose to take them like adding a hop in between some kicks. In Arm and Shoulder Sculptor Keli trains you with some weighted reps and lounges to get more bang for your buck. She then uses the weights to train with the punches you learned earlier in the video. Once done slow with the weights she pushes you to really throw those punches without them at a high speed. Fat-Burning Blast is a cardio circuit training which includes jumps, planks, plank jacks, push ups and a fast paced agility portion which will have you sweating. Last is Washboard Abs where Keli uses side planks, regular planks and different verities of crunches to work your core and really appreciating that stretch at the end.

I always do all the whole dvd to give me my daily workout. Keli's cute personality and her teaching style makes me come back to this video again and again. This dvd is offered to my as a Netflix live stream and is permanently stuck in my queue. While waiting for each segment to start up I will jog in place or jump rope to keep my heart rate up. I would at least do two segments so you get 20 minutes in, ten isn't enough to burn any calories. If you are new to kickboxing and want to try it out Kel is a great choice.

As you may know Erin has an arm disability, but let me tell you this does not stop this girl from getting her workouts done!  In fact, she wanted to share with you how she alters her kickboxing workout in order to fit her needs, much like I have do with pushups and weights due to my wrist injury from when i put my arm thru a window pane.  So you know what Erin did for all of you!?!  She video taped her workout just so you can see that just if you have a physical set back doesn't mean you can't manage to find a way to follow along!  

 ~Erin "Fitness Mama"

My first week of exercising...

Alright I have managed to keep my snack rule, even if its killing me but I am having troubles sticking to not eating past 8pm.  As a mom I run around most of my morning drinking coffee and don't actually have my first meal until well into the afternoon.  Needless to say I always end up getting hungry after dinner and end up eating.  BUT at least i'm not eating anything bigger than my fist! right!?!   I manage to make sure I go for a 30 min walk or two 15 min ones everyday (though circumstances this week have made that a little harder, but they're clearing up).  Luckily for me this is easy to do as I don't own a car and I have to walk to get groceries etc.  As for my "inside" routines I have been finding this one lots of fun!!

Sexy Chair Routine

Of course I have many others I like to do like on mother-in-laws MY Wii Fit; but this one I think is great blasting some music and letting loose.  As moms we need to let loose, feel sexy and get our work out on?!! Right ladies?!?! I highly suggest this, its fast and a great addition to your workout outside the home.

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Now back to that Wii Fit hubby and I "borrowed."  It is actually my in-laws Wii with Wii Fit.  Some of you know that my father in law was very upset this year when he came to realize his wife hadn't used this system, nor his teenage daughter, since the prior Christmas.  Needless to say I doubt they'll be asking for it back... at least I hope.  I really like it... even if it told me I was... "obese" ~shudder~ *tears*.  Nonetheless I still like it!  I can customize workouts to any length and combine workouts and even target them for certain purposes.  There is even a hoola-hoop game that I love that really makes you look silly but it certainly gives you a good burn!  I had wished to do more of this sort of thing but I haven't been feeling the greatest but I do manage to squeeze at least 20 min every night.  Hubby is also liking this cause its just one more thing i can do AWAY from the computer lol!!  I am also liking it cause he will play games on it instead of play on the computer, but prevents me from watching tv FORCING me to work researching things, brainstorming and commenting all over when I can.

by the way that half moon pose in the middle there BURNS, just BURNS you think it will be easy bit it isn't... it isn't...

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40 with Kendell and Stephanie

I workout for 40 minutes 5-6 days a week, so when I chose to use Exercise TV, I love to combine workouts to get the most out of my time. Today's workout was a combination of two of my favorite trainers, Kendell Hogan and Stephanie Vitorino. I find that both these trainers create great strength and cardio videos that really get your heart pumping. Combining both of strength and cardio is a great way to get the optimum results!

I chose to do a 29 minute cardio workout with Kendell. His Power Cardio Burn will definitely make you sweat. The one thing that I love about Kendell is his personality. Not only is he not fake or annoying but he is so fun he makes you want to workout. He is also human, which is apparent in the few mistakes he made making this particular video. I noticed that he skipped a few moves he taught in the circuit and switch some with others. Some people might be put off by this but I find it refreshing that my trainer isn't a robot. If you are new to working you may find this cario circuit a bit too much, but I encourage you to giv it your best, even if you have to take brakes by just marching in place at least your moving and that is key!

I chose to finish up my workout with a bit of strength. Stephanie's Sexy & Strong video is awesome! She uses a combination of weights, bands (I didn't have bands and just improvised with my weights) and cardio to jack up you heart rate and make you feel your workout. Like Kendell Stephanie shows her human side to her viewers. She pushes you and encourages you the whole way. This is a great mix for a newbie who wants a challenge. The cario is in short bursts and you can easily catch your breath during the strength training workouts. I say give this a shot if you want to mix things up!

With both of these workouts combined I felt it. I noticed that I was sweating everywhere even my shoulders (yes gross but a sure sign that I am working hard). If you just starting to get into the fit groove do one of these at a time. Both these trainers will make you feel like your workout is a game and make you want to finish. I look forward to continue my workouts with Kendell and Stephanie and to bring their great workouts to you!

~Erin "Fitness Mama"

Super Foods Part one

Since health is one of my main goals, so I wanted to look into “superfoods” to see what sorts of things I should be eating MORE of.  To help ME (so please don’t take my advice over the advice of your doctors yadda yadda…) with some of the things I am worried about such as cancer and osteoporosis.  Most of you know my mother passed from cancer and also suffered from advanced osteoporosis, and currently my father has developed it as well (osteoporosis that is).  The last thing I want, is to leave this world too early or with a hunchback and constant back fractures.  So what better way than to adapt “superfoods” into my diet?!

Now I wanted to start with our first super hero… to me villain since I hate them but their benefits clearly can’t be ignored.  Blueberries.  I know, I know “how could you hate blueberries!?!?”  I just do, dunno why I just never liked them.  Not even blueberry flavored things lol!  Now these, I think yucky, little blue things are PACKED, and I mean PACKED, with those wonderful things we call antioxidants which have been proven to help in the prevention of many diseases including cancer and heart disease.   They also have phytoflavinoids which helps with inflammation which is apparently a key driver in many chronic diseases.  Not to mention they are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them probably something I should learn to live with, and eat.  Recommended serving?  ½ cup a day apparently, and don’t worry they say that frozen are just as good as fresh!

Since I began with something that I dislike I figured lets choose something that I honestly LOVE.  Broccoli.  Oh how I love it and apparently so do our bodies!  All women should be eating this at all times that they can squeeze it in.  Why?!  Because it helps us develop normal tissue, so its important to eat; for all women, for any reason.

The large amounts of calcium of course aid in the fight against osteoporosis, the potassium for high blood pressure, the fibre helps out the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as well as reducing your blood cholesterol levels which are always a worry for me and my weight.  Luckily I haven’t ended up with these issues as of yet.  But that isn’t the point; the point is to PREVENT these things.  In the last few years, broccoli, believe it or not, has actually made the headlines with three different components found in the vegetable. For instance, the indole-3-carbinol has peaked the interest of those looking to prevent hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate cancer.  In case those weren’t good enough reasons, how about it aids in the prevention in the OTHER following illnesses: Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, calcium deficiencies, stomach and colon cancer, malignant tumors, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even the aging process.  Not to mention its just yummy!  So that is going to be added to my as-much-as-possible list.  Who knows maybe you’ll see me on the couch eating it raw like the caltrate commercials lol!  

Something that EVERYONE in my house loves is Bananas, but do you know the health benefits of our organically packaged buddy?!?  POTASSIUM is a big one.  They contain 10% of our daily intake of potassium, that’s a lot of power for one fruit to carry with it!  And thanks to the potassium that our little banana has by eating it, it will in turn help suppress the amount of calcium your body will excrete or “loose.”  Helping you in to actually “absorb” it better in a sense, which ends up helping you create and maintain healthier teeth and bones as well as it aids in the prevention of kidney stones (which my father has had six times in his lifetime so far… guess he should have eaten some bananas).  Can’t complain about that can ya?!?  With the amount of other vitamins in the amazing banana (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9) that little guy also helps you keep a healthy mental state AND nervous system.  With mental illness and depression sitting in my background, this little guy might be my key to keeping that pep in my step from morning till night.  What else can super banana do??!  It boosts your immune system, helps your hair and nails grow, SLOWS AGING, prevents memory loss (need to eat MORE!!!!), prevents depression, dementia, heck there are even new studies out there talking about how they can help rewire your brain after suffering a stroke I mean what more could you want from something you eat?!?!  Truly a super food!

Did you know that the Aztec’s called avocado’s “ahuacatl”, which is their word for testicles?  You didn’t?!  Neither did I, and I’m rather upset that I know that now.  Anyways despite being called ahuacatl or “balls” I do have some relevant information.  We all know that this little guy is super fatty, in fact 330 calories and 30g of fat kinda fatty; but it is GOOD fat the kind of fat that lowers your cholesterol so don’t go running away!  After a study was done, looking at 45 different people, integrating avocados into their diets most of them showed about a 17% decrease in their cholesterol levels, and that is pretty significant.

The avocado can also could be useful to ALL us bloggers as it has been proven helpful in keeping your eyes healthy from spending WAY too much time in front of the computer screen.  Definitely something I should look into as I noticed my eyes are going blurry even now.  They have even shown to have a natural toxin (good toxin) that will actually kill cancer cells in both prostate cancer and breast cancer!  Olive oil also shares the same cancer fighting properties, so keep note of that.  You want to know what my favourite part about this fruit is??  It’s the glutathione and the more of this you have in you the longer your life expectancy if supposed to be, how can that be bad?!  Oh wait IT CAN’T!!  Then just to top it off this wonder fruit is capable of helping you absorb other vitamins from other foods that you eat with it.  Take that Superman!

I hope that you found this as useful as I have.  This is definitely a series that I hope to continue with when I have the time to do all the research and reading for it.  I hope that you will add more of these to your diet!  Share your healthy recipes containing these magical vegetables and fruits with us and we would love to feature them on our Scrumptious Sundays!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs

http://healthfood-guide.com/
all images from google images...

 

We Can All Use A Little Advice :D

When Eschelle first asked me to do some guest posts on her new fitness blog I was so excited and honored! Fitness is a very big part of my life it has been since I started to fight the anorexia battle back in 2001. I weighed 136 lbs in high school and was wearing a size 12/13 (I'm 5'3") and my Dad told me I was fat. So I started to exercise and slowly cut down my foods. I fought anorexia for a good few months then started eating (I limited my foods), but the feeling that I needed to workout never left me. Speed walking for 2 hours or more everyday was my drug and it was hard to give it up.

I finally got healthy when I met my husband, but I still exercise and watch my eating habits to this very day. I am a healthy 115 lbs and can fit into a size 2 (this is after giving birth to my 6 month old). I am by no means a personal trainer, nutritionist or any officially educated Dr. on eating or fitness, but I have read lots of information, studied and know what works and what doesn't. I'd love to start by sharing with you some free resources. The excuse I can't afford to workout (gym, equipment) doesn't apply anymore these days.

To start I suggest everyone sign up with Sparkpeople. This site is awesome! It has wonderful resources, community, a calorie counter, fitness tracker and even some workouts! Knowledge is key when you are trying to lose weight and starting a fitness routine! The main thing to remember is that you need to burn what ever calories you put into your body! You also need to get a good variety of workout videos! Exercise TV is one of my favorite sites to find a free full length workout video. You can also checkout Hulu for some workout and if you have NetfIixs then you can watch some videos live stream or request any workout DVD.

It's very important to start out slowly and work your way up and remember changes don't happen over night! Finding a trainer you like is also a good idea. Your not gonna want to workout if you can't stand the trainer lol! This is something you are doing for your body, mind, spirit and your family!

I'd love to introduce you to some of my favorite trainers, do some workout reviews and answer questions or comment you might have.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/
http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/all/?videotype=free-full-length

Baby steps

I have tried a lot of things; but the one thing that i haven't tried is to stick to something, to follow thru.  so how am i going to beat this?? Baby steps.  Rome wasn't built in a day and i didn't end up like this overnight.  So i am going to start creating good and REASONABLE "commandments" for myself.  Why?!? Commandments??  In a sense i would like to think that i'm ordering myself to do this, for self es-steam, for my health, for my kids etc..so I COMMAND myself to finish this to finally following thru and change my lifestyle.  Change it in a way that keeps me healthy, doesn't make me angry or frustrated and helps me on a daily basis to feel good in all senses of that term.  Here are my FIRST four "commandments":

1. I will beat the late night muncher and not eat past eight PM at night.  
2. I will not eat a snack bigger than my fist. Kinda hating how i have small fists...
3. I will avoid delicious succulent junk food as much as possible!
4. I will get off my lazy ass and exercise for twenty minutes every OTHER day to start my first week.  Increasing by ten minutes every week up until on hour, as possible, making sure to keep my workouts new and fresh.  

Sound like a good few first steps??  I thought so.  If you have suggestions please feel free.

Unlike most of you I am not a scale person or owner for that matter.  I would rather not end my showers with eyes filled with tears of my alien like weight gain.  SOOO i am going via inches... and i'll measure-up every month to see if i'm gaining inches or preferably loosing em and at least breaking even!  lol So here is our base point, please don't laugh at me i know i'm HUGE!  Especially when starting out at 115.  Anyhoo here we are:

Bust: 47
Waist: 45.5
Hips: 45

Yeah horrific... don't need to tell me!  And again, unlike some of you braver women, I am unwilling to do an undies before photo.... no one needs to see that.  So instead i will take a photo of myself in an outfit. I will pick something on the tighter side, to see myself shrink and slowly fit into it properly.  So eeeww warning in advance!

EEEEEEWWWWWW

EEEEEEEWWWWWW

  So it begins.. i hope to never see a photo of myself like this again! GOOD DAY FAT ASS!

In the Begining...

In the beginning there was a thin girl.  A tiny girl.  Then the thin girl met a boy and found herself pregnant at nineteen years of age.  As the months slowly went by, one meal at a time, she watched her body change drastically, and her vegetarianism fly out the window like a bat out of hell.  Her once small stomach became engorged and itchy.  It became, what she later referred to as, her personal road map.  She will grow daily deluding herself with her sweet first-time-mother-innocence; thinking breastfeeding will help her be "alright" with the situation, tighten up her stomach.  Of course she will be disappointed and end up with her forty pound (give or take) souvenir she get to carry around every day.

So there she sat happy to be holding the "you just had a child," excuse and BOOM!  Preggers AGAIN.  Another nine months spent eating and puking.  You would think that with that much vomit you wouldn't gain so much weight.  I mean i was plagued with "all day, all night sickness."  So now here she is an additional twenty probably on top of the original forty and that is how you get ME.  A short fat chick with ZERO motivation to do anything, let alone the stamina or self esteem.  Thus "The Little Fat Girl That Could."  This is where I start, this is where maybe you will start with me.  Just baby steps and my daily battle with food and laziness.  Cause lets face it, it is pretty much just laziness.  Don't lie; we're lazy.

So here I am, here we begin....