4 Drinks to Avoid

1.Coffee drinks with full-fat dairy, artificial flavorings and extras such as chocolate sprinkles. These can pack as many calories (and fat) as a meal. A better option is a plain coffee with soymilk or, better yet, antioxidant-rich green tea.


2.Sugary cocktails. Whether it’s a margarita or a pina colada, cocktails pack a double dose of calories due to alcohol and sugar - some can top 800 calories in one drink. Better options are a glass of red wine (60-100 calories) or a light beer (about 100 calories).

3.Non-juice "juice drinks." Before buying juice, read the label and make sure it is 100 percent juice (not just “made with” real juice) and check for sweeteners and calories. Many of these products are no better than drinking sugar water. Even 100 percent juice can spike blood sugar and promote weight gain, so mix it with plain or sparkling water or green tea to lower the glycemic load.

4.Soda. There just isn’t anything nutritious about soda, whether it’s diet or regular. If you’re a soda addict, break the habit by eliminating soda as a treat, and stop reaching for it automatically with a meal or as a thirst quencher.

My New Gym - LA Fitness

As a result of my recent move, I had to change health clubs and unfortunately I am no longer with Lifetime Fitness. I really liked Lifetime. Unfortunately I had to find a new gym and it wasn't easy. I ended up getting a membership with LA Fitness. So far I have not been there too frequently because I am also working out at home doing P90X and kettle bell workouts. The purchase of my membership included a training session with a trainer. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. Of course during my workout with this trainer, I was asking a lot of questions. It's my nature to ask questions, I feel that's how you learn, by asking questions. This trainer was a bit annoyed by my questions, and I wasn't impressed by his answers. I guess his clients don't generally ask him questions. This guy didn't want to explain to me why he was making me do10 sets and 10 reps of each exercise. Of course after the training he proceeded to try to sell me training packages. NOT! I was not at all interested, I've trained with many trainers and I have only found a few that I really like mainly because they want to train me the same way as they train their clients who never or rarely workout. Basically they trainer didn't do any type of fitness assessment to determine my fitness level. Some men can't even do a pull up and most women cannot so why on earth is this trainer looking at me like I am crazy when I tell him that I want to do pull-ups.
On my second visit to LA Fitness, another trainer approached me wanting to workout with me (another way of trying to sell me a membership). I tell him that I working legs so he takes me to the Smith Machine to do squats. No thanks I said, I prefer using the squat rack. I don't like using the Smith Machine for squats since it reduces the range of motions. Instead I tell him that I want to do squats using the cage. So we then head over to the cage and then he suggests getting me one of those pads that goes around the bar. Nope, I said to him, I don't use those. Most trainers will tell you that it is best not to use those and I've read it many times. So I was not impressed. Upon asking him about his certification, I find out that his certificate isn't from an ACE, ISSA or any where I know but from some weekend course he took at LA Fitness. Whatever, this dude wants me to train with him? Not gonna happen in this lifetime! I wish there was a Lifetime Fitness closer by my house or work!

Kettlebell Workout

I finally got all of my kettlebells and I've started doing kettlebell workouts. I Googled kettlebell workouts and there are so many workouts you can do with kettlebells. I did all of following:

Kettlebell Twists arounds,


1 hand Kettlebell Swings

2 hand kettlebell swing

Squat Press

1 Arm Row

Burpee

Russian twist

Overhead press

Chest press

Upright Row

Alternating Suitcase deadlifts

Overhead lunges

Forward lung with a twist

I was going to try to do the turkish getup but I should have started with it and I was spent.

PX90 Workout

I recently started doing the PX90 Workout and I love it! It was my husband's idea, he purchased the workouts and he wanted a workout buddy. This was very surprising since he never wants to workout with me. I think it's because he knows that I will kick his butt! Actually the truth is it's because when we are lifting together there is such a large height difference that he has to change the racks and weights all the time, which is a pain. 

I was really surprised that I like the PX90 workout as much as I do. I started working out in high school during the summer doing workout tapes. I've done all types of tapes from Jane Fonda to Billy Blanks Taebo so I felt that I was regressing, since I've now become such a hardcore weight lifter :)! But I really enjoy doing the PX90 workouts. I like that there are push ups, pull ups, weights and yoga are all incorporated into the workouts. I am also still going to the gym to lift once a week. This is my 2nd week of PX90. I also enjoy that I can do it at home and don't have to go to the gym. 

We are starting a home gym in our basement and I recently purchased some kettle bells. I think I will do PX90 for 90 days and I'll see what results I'll get. Today was a plyometrics workout, so far so good.

Today is National Dance Day!

National Dance Day is a grassroots initiative encouraging the nation, young and old, to move!

On this day, individuals, families, organizations and communities from across the nation are encouraged to come together and dance. Any style of dance is welcome and imagination is recommended in order to get the most out of this celebratory day. So get up and dance!

Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar

I now have a pull-up bar at my house so that I can practice my pull-ups. My goal is to increase the number pull-up I can do to 20. I have been stuck at 8 pull-ups for so long now that it is annoying. The weird thing is that I was able to do up to 10 and 12 when I lived in California but it's seems that I am weaker on the East Coast! So I am only able to do about 6 or 7 consecutive pull-ups at a time.
I have been trying to do them every other day. I was at my health club doing pull-ups and this lady was asking me tips on how she to do them, since she was unable to do one and wanted to learn. I told her to have her husband spot her and do some negatives. This is how I was able to increase my pullup strength when I first started. I think I was only able to do about 2. The same lady then asks me if I was a professional athlete. She actually thought I looked like a professional athlete? I guess that is an improvement from the last time...this lady at my health club asked my husband and I if we were professional cheerleaders??? I am not sure if I've ever seen a six foot 5 inch tall cheerleader, since that's my husband's height! Weird how people assume that once you are in relatively good physical shape/conditioning, you look that way because you are getting paid...you therefore must be a professional_____

Visualize your Workout

I feel like I am on hiatus from my blog writing this summer. This has been an interesting and busy summer to say the least. Last month was a pretty crappy workout month (crappy by my standards)  and I getting back into my training this month. It's funny, I was speaking to a trainer, John, at my gym and I was telling him that I feel like I've lost muscle and my muscles are smaller, particularly in my legs. This is as as a result of having a crappy workout month last month. But here I am feeling a bit ridiculous telling him this since, I hope it's not that easy to lose muscle, but it takes so long for me to put on muscle that I have a bit of a paranoia about this. Well I am not the only one who is feels this way, since John tells me that he feels the say way since he has been unable to work out for over a month after having eye surgery. I feel for him! Since he is unable to workout, he has been doing what I call "air" workouts, he is basically doing bicep curls without weights and is using a lot of visualization techniques where he visualizes that he is working out. I am not sure how effective that is but, it makes him feel better. Wouldn't it be great to just visual working out and getting some of the same effects of that workout! I actually did have a trainer who would make me visualize all my workouts before doing them.