Fit for Success

Have you ever heard of Success Magazine? It's not as mainstream as Money, Men's Fitness, Shape, etc. but it's every bit as motivational. You're more likely to find it in a book store than a convenience store. Anyway, although my subscription has expired, I still receive the weekly emails and I wanted to share this one with you. I'm not necessarily endorsing this program because I haven't tried it myself. But being both "success" and "fitness"-minded, I'm trusting it to be a good idea! Enjoy.

Get Fit for SUCCESS
A key to meeting your fitness goal (or any goal) is to make sure your reasons are strong enough. Work backward by first exploring why you want to get fit. What are your reasons? How will you benefit? If your reasons are strong enough, you will find the discipline to achieve your goal.
Fitness expert Shawn Phillips offers some powerful reasons, “Getting fit offers you greater energy, renewed health, a clearer mind and more time and freedom in every area of your life.”
Phillips is leading SUCCESS magazine’s 90-Day FIT for SUCCESS Challenge, a summer program to revitalize your health and mind. You will receive training, nutrition and mindset articles and interactive support. PDF downloads will help you track your goals. The program will begin June 1 and continue until Aug. 28. You can sign up now at www.success.com/challenge.

Letting Go of the Past

I don't know where you came from or what you've been through in your life. What I DO know is that too many of us let the past keep us from having the future we want. Maybe you were the "fat kid" in high school or the last one to get picked for a team. Maybe you were shy or hesitant to try new things. Maybe you've been in relationships with someone who told you (whether implicitly or explicitly) that you'd never succeed. The point is, those things are behind you. Let them go and feel how much lighter your journey becomes when you drop that baggage.

You CAN achieve the things that you want. You CAN try new things, feel good about your body, be the friend, parent, and person you want to be. I know I'm talking in broad terms here, but take the concept and apply it toward your goals for yourself physically, as well. You CAN lose weight, get healthy, and feel comfortable with your body image. It's a matter of letting go of the old, negative baggage you've been carrying and repacking those bags with positive thoughts and belief systems. Don't beat yourself up for things you did in the past or for things that happened to you. Each time those thoughts creep into your head, STOP THEM. Reprogram those patterns with empowering statements: "I feel great because I am healthy and getting better every day." Before you know it, you really will be!

If anyone wants to suggest some good books on this topic, please reply! Thanks and make it a great weekend!

Put the Pack Down!

Wow, a recent study was cited in Parenting Magazine stating that women who smoke lose an average of 14.5 years of life! Are you kidding me? Imagine what you could do with those 14 years. It's mind-boggling. So if you are a smoker, I'm begging you to consider quitting or at least cutting back. I understand that it's one of the hardest habits to break, so consider talking to your doctor about effective methods and find a good support group. As with anything we give up (sweets, drinks, video games, etc.), it helps to replace that loss with a healthy substitute. What could be a better replacement than a trip to the gym? See you there!

Get Active America! Week Coming Up

May 11-17th is "Get Active America!" week across the country and Anytime Fitness is participating. During the week, members can bring friends for free during staffed hours. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all members of the public 18 and over can use the club for free during staffed hours. We are even adding special staffed hours from 10 - 2 on Sunday just this once.

Our staff will also be holding special classes that week so check back for more programming updates. Likely classes include yoga, boot camp, stroller fitness, physio ball exercises, and a nutrition talk.

Tell your friends and family to mark their calendars so we can see them in the club!

This Sunday we'll also have a booth at the Oak Cliff Earth Day Festival in Lake Cliff Park. The hours are 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. so please stop by to say hello. Members and non-members can register to win two free training sessions with me! :-)

5 Tips for Toned Arms

We were approached by the Dallas Morning News blog to write some tips on "How to Get Arms Like Michelle Obama." She probably does have the best arms of a First Lady, now that you mention it. Anyway, here are Jacqui's suggestions for how YOU can tone up your arms and start wearing those sleeveless shirts!

1) Pump Some Iron: Ladies, in order to really achieve strong, sculpted arms you need to hoist heavy weights. Shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps, and always make sure your last two to three reps are hard to get. Adjust your weights accordingly as you get stronger. Forget the old adage of lifting light weights for 15-20 reps. You won’t see the results you are looking for. If you would like to incorporate light weights into your routine, aim for 30+ reps and use little rest between sets.

2) Eat Mindfully: In order to see those beautiful muscles you may need to strip away a layer or two. Pay attention to your food intake. Eat only when you are hungry, NOT when you are bored or stressed.

3) Be Active: Carve out some YOU time for activity. Go for a walk, ride your bike, play with your kids, enjoy an active date. Make an active lifestyle a priority.

4) Improve your Cardiovascular Health: Find a sturdy stationary bike and plant yourself for 20 to 30 minutes. Be ready, this will be the hardest & most effective cardiovascular work you can do. Intervals will incinerate the fat on your upper arms and will condition you to work even harder in the weight room. Begin with an easy 5 min. warm-up. Follow with one 45 sec. all out effort (increase the resistance and pedal as hard as you can), next take the resistance down and pedal lightly for 90 sec. to recover. That is one interval. Repeat until you have completed 6 to 8 intervals. You will be spent! Cool down for 5 min. and relish in what you’ve accomplished.

5) Clean up your Diet: Stay away from processed, packaged foods. Try to eat organic when you can. Incorporate as many fruits & vegetables into your diet as possible. Round out your meals and snacks with healthy fats and lean proteins. Always stay well hydrated and drink plenty of water. Having great looking arms means having strong, toned muscles as well as beautiful, healthy skin.

Exercise Database

Have you ever wanted to work on a particular body part but you can't think of good exercises that target it? Or you keep doing the same exercises for a body part and are seriously in need of variety either because you've stopped getting results or you are just plain bored? Well, I wanted to share a great resource with you: the Exercise Database on www.criticalbench.com. You can pick out a body part and the web site shows you a list of exercises and how to execute them. Use this to add some variety to your workout and really focus on the parts you want to train. Other parts of the web site are fun, too, such as the calculators. Let me know what you think.

Plank Variations

During the past few years since "core strength" became a household name, you've probably done enough planks to make you bonkers. (No? Then get after it!) It's time you added a few twists. Start in the plank position (on forearms and toes with entire midsection straight and tight). Lift your right foot a few inches off the ground and keep it there, then straighten your right arm, then straighten your left arm. Reverse the order as you lower each arm and the right leg. Repeat this continuously for 30 seconds, rest, and then repeat with the left leg.

Next let's add some twists for your obliques. Start in a push-up position with your arms extended. Bring your left knee toward your right elbow and then back. Repeat with the right knee to the left elbow. Continue for 45 seconds or for reps. Be sure to keep your abs tight and your back straight. You'll feel this in your chest and shoulders, as well. Have fun!