Happy Monday

Complex #1: 3 rounds
Alternating step ups x10/side
​Reverse fly x 15
Max push up

Complex #2: 3 rounds
Walking lunge x 10/side
Renegade row x 8/side
Reverse crunch x 20

In and out

10 minutes running

1 arm alternating snatch x20
russian twists x 20
repeat these 2 exercises three times

5 minute running - fastest pace you can maintain for 5 mins

1 leg deadlift
cable woodchop

10 intevals on treadmill
20 seconds on 10 off x 10 times

​total time 35 minutes

Vacations are a great time to incorporate a little rest the body needs, however they are one of my favorite times to workout.  I'm always nice a relaxed, have no thoughts of work, kids or life that are rushing me or clouding my mind, and after there is always a nice breakfast waiting.     

With Spring break here many are going on vacation so I thought I would post my quick and easy vacation workouts.  The workouts are meant to be of lighter intensity and complexity of the movements kept to a minimum.  It is your vacation so the idea is to get up and moving but not sore or have the post workout fatigue.  The workouts are meant to prepare you for the day, give you energy and leave you feeling great.
Workout #1:
Warm up - 

• Bike 5 minutes
• foam roll
• Movement work - include hips, glutes, t-spine, shoulder prep

Complex 1: repeat 3x

• goblet Squat x 10
• Tricep up/downs
• Skip 200 jumps

Complex #2:

• Pushup and rotate x 5/side
• Alternating Back lunch x 10/side
• Bike - standing sprints 30 seconds up/ 30 recovery x 4

This is technically a very easy challenge yet I know it will end up being  one of the hardest to commit to.
Here it is :

The challenge is to foam roll for a minimum of 5 minutes a day. 
Guidelines for rolling:

• Breathe
• Only roll the areas that need it
• It should not be excruciatingly painful.  On a scale of 1 to 10 you should be at a 4.  Able to BREATHE and talk.

Here are some examples of area's to roll but remember to play around and find some spots that really need it.

Spring Break is coming up which means a lot of people are going on vacation, including myself.   So... I was looking for some motivational quotes or images for staying fit while on vacation but instead I came across this image and it made me laugh pretty hard so I'm sharing it instead.    I love my job and clients so this does not apply to my work, but it is pretty funny.

In truth, I love working out while on vacation.  I find it is a great way to start the day and breakfast tastes so good after you get your sweat on.  I definitely use my vacation as a recover week so my workout intensity is way lower, but I'm doing something active everyday.

NEW BONUS CHALLENGE - I will be posting this on Wednesday so stay tuned 

DIET.  A word that is often associated with cutting certain foods out of your diet, depriving yourself of needed nutrients and calories, and yo yo weight changes.  I like to think of the word DIET to represent "Did I Eat Today"??

We need to "stoke the fire" with nutrient dense, unprocessed foods to keep our metabolism burning hot.  When your metabolism is working well you can go away on that vacation and indulge  a little more then normal, or have the occasional drink or dessert without having to worry about putting on a few pounds.  

Here are some foods that are metabolic disruptors and should be consumed lightly:

• Refined Sugar: 
  
  • heavily processed and makes it very hard for your body to maintain a stable blood sugar as it enters the blood stream too quickly  leading to excess sugar in your fat cells
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar can inhibit weight loss for three to four days
  • makes you hungrier
• Refined Wheat Flour (white flour)
  • highly modified to make it more pest and weather resistant which also make it more digestion-resistant. 
  • Symptoms: inflammation, gas, bloating, water retention, fatigue, joint pain etc. 
  • Exception is Sprouted Wheat Bread - when wheat is sprouted into a plant and then ground it makes it more digestible.   You can buy sprouted bread, bagels and wraps from most local grocery stores including Costco
• Coffee
  • Extreme adrenal gland stressor
  • Adrenal glands keep you stress hormone steady, regulate your fight or flight hormones, regulate aldosterone (which controls fat metabolism), helps with fat metabolism and sugar storage, and regulates muscle development.   When you drink a lot of coffee you disrupt all these crucial metabolic functions
  • I love my coffee but I am limiting it to 1 cup a day and I always eat before or while drinking my coffee. Coffee on an empty stomach is a metabolism killer.  
• Soy
  • Soy is estrogenic in nature and plant estrogens love to increase belly fat.
  • It is fed to livestock to cheaply increase protein content and cause rapid weight gain.  
• Alcohol
  • it's a toxin that your liver must process.  Tips for those days you are going to drink:  Eat every 3 hours; eat protein at every meal; eat protein snack 30 minutes before consuming alcohol; drink 8 oz of water for every glass of alcohol
• Dairy
  • Mainstream, hormone filled, refined dairy, like milk and cheese,  have too high of sugar-fat-protein ratio leading to high rate of sugar delivery from the lactose = metabolism disruptors.
• Corn
  • corn has been drastically modified over the years to make it sweeter
  • Essentially corn is a big chunk of sugar that increases the production of white fat