Celebrate YOU!

 Sometimes we can get so caught up everything that has to get done that we forget to take a second and celebrate our victories. It's so important to recognize the hard work we put in to our weight loss, our fitness goals, a project at work, the kids getting to bed cleaned and fed, or dinner that took longer than 10 minutes to make! When we don't stop and take the time to appreciate and celebrate our small victories, we tend to get burnt out. 

My challenge to you this coming month is to celebrate a small (or huge) victory every single day! Write it down and put the list somewhere you will see it everyday. Add to it every night before you go to bed. Your victory can be something as small as "I took the stairs instead of the elevator." Or it can be as huge as, "I completed my first marathon!" 

Let's take the time to celebrate our victories and recognize the hard work we do! It will give us more encouragement, motivation, and positivity in our busy lives!

Natalie Lurie
natalie@guidingfitness.com

Fuel Your Fitness

Our bodies cannot survive without proper nutrition. In the same way, our workouts cannot survive without the proper fuel. The foods we choose to put in our bodies dictates what our bodies can and will do. We've all heard that eating a nutritionally sound diet can help us lose weight, but it can also allow us to push harder in our workouts.

When we eat junk food, our bodies tend to naturally slow down and say, "Hey, let's just sit here and maybe eat some more junk food. I'm too tired to exercise." But when we fuel our bodies with the right kinds of food, we can discover loads of energy, better performance, clearer thoughts, and healthier immune systems. 

8 Foods To Help Fuel Your Fitness:

1. Quinoa- You may not be very familiar with quinoa, but it's time you met! This little grain is a protein powerhouse. It's also a great source of heart healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, and B vitamins.

2. Eggs- Eggs contain 4 grams of pure muscle building amino acids inside every shell. They also have the highest naturally available doses of choline, which is thought to enhance memory. And of course, they are a great source of protein.

3. Water- You had to know good old H20 would be on this list! Water is literally life. It flushes out toxins, regulates body temp, lubricates joints, enhances energy, and supplies our bodies with much needed minerals. Without water, none of the other super foods would matter. 

4. Sweet Potatoes- A 4 ounce sweet potato contains more than 100% of our daily supply of beta carotene, a hefty supply of vitamin C & E, and iron. It's also one of the best foods for muscle recovery.

5. Almonds- High in protein, fiber, and vitamin E, almonds are great for your heart, digestive system, and skin. Grab a handful for a snack.

6. Yogurt- Yogurt has all the benefits of milk, plus active cultures to boost the number of germ fighting bacteria along your intestinal wall. Go for plain greek yogurt and throw in fresh fruit to get the most out of this protein packed snack without all the sugar.

7. Oatmeal- Oatmeal is filled with stress-fighting and immunity-boosting zinc. It can promote weight loss, lower your risk of heart disease, and is packed with soluble fiber to help you stay fuller longer.

8. Blueberries-  Of all the fruit you could eat, blueberries just might be one of the best! Those little blue globes pack more fiber, vitamins, and minerals per ounce than any other fruit. They are full of free radical fighting antioxidants that fight disease and are also effective at helping keep connections between your brain and nervous system healthy.

Don't forget, you are what you eat and your health and performance are dictated by what you put in your mouth! Make sure it's something healthy and beneficial to your entire being!

Natalie Lurie

natalie@guidingfitness.com

Be Explosive: The benefits of HIIT workouts

If you've been in a gym, read a fitness article, or even been around a trainer recently, then you have no doubt heard the term "HIIT". This stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and it is booming lately! Last year, HIIT was one of the top two fitness trends, with body weight training being the other. So, what is this training all about? Why should we add it into our workout schedules? What is HIIT?

HIIT is a training technique in which one pushes their bodies in a 100 percent "all out" effort in quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by a short, active recovery period. These techniques have also been called tabata training. These sessions typically are shorter than your usual fitness class because they tax the anaerobic system and keep the heart rate up at a higher intesity, allowing for MORE work in a shorter time frame. You mean to say, I can work harder for a SHORTER amount of time and get the same benefits? Where do I sign up? 

It can be really beneficial to your overall fitness to add a few HIIT workouts into your routine. Eric Salvador, NASM, NSCA, and head instructor at The Fhitting Room in New York City has this to say about HIIT workouts, "A high-intensity workout increases the body's need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This afterburner effect is known as EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. This is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular steady-state workouts."

Still not convinced? Here a few other benefits of sprinkling in a bit of HIIT.

1. HIIT increases your metabolism. HIIT stimulates the production of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) by up to 400 percent during the 24 hours after you finish your workout. This is AWESOME news! HGH is not only responsible for increased caloric burn but also slows the aging process, making you younger from the inside out!

2. HIIT exercise can be done anywhere! You can do it in the rain, you can do it on a train. You can do it here, you can do it there. You can do it ANYWHERE! The concept is so simple, it can be applied to any exercise movement. Work at your maximum level for 30-60 seconds, rest for 20-40, then wash, rinse, and repeat! You can do this at home, on vacation, in the aisle of a plane even! Though, you might get a few grumpy passengers that obviously don't subscribe to HIIT exercise. 

3. HIIT increases your cardiovascular output, therefore building a stronger heart. Most people aren't used to pushing themselves into their anaerobic threshold. (That magical place where you can't catch your breath and your heart is trying to make a jump for it.) The heart is a muscle, and just like with any muscle in the body, it has to be conditioned. By pushing your heart to beat faster and harder, it allows the heart to grow stronger and keeps you moving more in future workouts.

Try this 20 minute beginner "Do-it-anywhere" HIIT workout:
Warm up the body with some jogging in place for 1 minute. Circle the arms around backwards and forwards, exaggerating the movements, for 30 seconds. Perform easy, shallow squats for 30 seconds then easy, shallow lunges for 30 seconds. Now, let's HIIT it!

3 rounds, 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of recovery. (During the recovery, keep your feet moving. Jog in place, bounce in place, etc) Do as many reps as you can in 45 seconds, working at your maximum level. 

1. Push-ups- If you cannot do a push-up your toes, drop to your knees. Most important, LEAD with your chest, not your forehead! 
2. Squats- Sit your hips back and down, keeping the knees behind your toes. The deeper you go, the harder it is. Make sure shoulders remain back and down as you lower.
3. Butt kickers- Sprint in place while bringing your heels back towards your buttocks.
4. Tricep dips- Place hands on sturdy bench, chair, or table. With your back to the chair, straighten out your legs, balancing on your palms. Bending from the elbows, lower as far as you can, then press up. Keep that core tight!
5. Side lunges- With your weight in your heels and toes facing forward, step to the side into a lunge, with your knees remaining over your toes. Alternate legs.
Rest for 1 minute then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.

Cool down by marching in place then holding these stretches for 30 seconds each: Overhead stretch, quad stretch (while standing, bring one foot back and grab with your hands, trying to get it as close to your buttocks as possible, switch legs), and forward fold. (With a flat back, reach down toward your toes.)

HIIT workouts will change your fitness game! Try one today!

Natalie Lurie
natalie@guidingfitness.com