Fitness break

Need a break from all that real estate news? Below is a blog by a local fitness expert about keeping your body in shape.

Hi my name is Rich Bennett of Key Fitness llc. I would like to thank Joanne Owens for allowing me to post a blog on fitness something I have spent my whole life trying to achieve and just like everyone else have had my stumbles along the way.
Hopefully I can help you not make the same mistakes I have and to be able to arm you with the proper knowledge to help you achieve your fitness goals and to have some fun along the way. My first post will be something i get asked a lot, Got any fat loss tips?
Most people are exercising less and eating more or eating more of the wrong foods.
These habits mean the fuel people are putting in their bodies is not getting burned as energy but stored as fat!
We all have circumstances that bombard us but excuses won’t get you results! You have to make time to take care of YOU first and foremost. If your body is breaking down (sick, tired, disease, etc) how are YOU going to enjoy and be productive in all other areas of your life? Your health is so important in you having a great quality of life. Notice how you don’t want to do much when you are tired or don’t feel good? You are less motivated so you get less done, you don’t want to be social so you keep to yourself while life and opportunities pass you by. Get out there and make the most of every moment! Get on the playing field instead of being a spectator. Put your body and health first.
Here are tips that really work!
1. Move your Body!
As soon as you wake up in the morning have a glass of warm water with fresh lemon juice squeezed from ½ a lemon (dash of cayenne pepper-optional) and go exercise (move your body)! This drink revs up your metabolism and helps flush fat! Try it before you knock it.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends doing 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days (5-6 days) along with 2 days a week of resistance training to be healthy. Studies show that working out in the morning burns up to 3x’s more calories as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. If morning isn’t an option for you, anytime is a great time to move your body! Did you know studies show that lack of exercise ages you faster than your actual metabolic age? Get moving!
The best exercise is running outside/treadmill. Second best is biking and jump roping. If it worked for Rocky it will work for you. Try jump roping for 3 minutes, See how long you last, I dare you. It’s not as easy as it was when you were young.
To get the best and fastest results do interval cardio. For example- Sprint 30 secs, jog 30 secs, sprint 30 secs, jog 30 secs.
You can mix it up and gradually speed up and slow down.
For example- jog at 5 m.p.h. for 1 minute. Increase speed to 6 m.p.h. for 1 minute, then increase your speed again to 7 m.p.h. for 1 minute. If this is your max then go back to 5 m.p.h and do it again.
The purpose of intervals is basically to go moderate then go maximum exertion. Studies show that interval training burns more calories than running at a steady pace for 30 minutes.
We are all about being the best and getting results, right?
So start interval training.
2. Eat Breakfast (after your morning workout)
Another way to keep your metabolism revved up all day is to eat breakfast. Make sure and eat after your workout not before. You want your body to burn stored fat while doing cardio, not the food in your stomach, so have an empty stomach for doing cardio.
Have a sensible breakfast and you’ll give your body the perfect 1-2 combination to jump start your metabolism.
Have a protein (egg whites, tuna, protein powder), a complex carb, and good fats (flax oil, fish oil, peanut butter, etc.)
3. Work Out Your Legs & Butt (Glutes)
People think that doing cardio alone will get them lean.
However a lot of people reach a plateau with their fat loss & then come to me for help. Resistance exercises are very powerful tools to burning tons of calories and having a sexy, tight body. The legs are the largest muscles in the body.
Thus, they have the most calorie burning potential. If you are a female don’t be concerned with getting "bulky". You would have to do super heavy, be eating massive amounts of food, and have unusually high testosterone levels to achieve this. These exercises will give you lean toned legs.
Exercises I recommend:
(Remember, your form is the most important aspect of these exercises. To avoid injury and to accomplish the maximum results in the shortest amount of time, a professional should assist you in these areas.)
Step-ups- Doing step- ups works your glutes (butt), hamstrings and quads. Use a chair, bench, or stairs to step up on to. Do 20-25 steps on each leg 2-3 sets.
Squats- If squats are easy for you, then hold weights for more calorie burning. 30 squats. 2-3 sets.
Incline walking/running - If you are going to walk or run on the treadmill for your cardio workout put the treadmill at an incline. Work your way up from a level 4 incline to a level 13 incline. You will burn twice the calories and it will perk up your butt. This is where you can do interval cardio.
Bleacher running/walking
(Hey guys! Doing weight-lifting exercises for your legs helps you gain muscle in the rest of your body, so don’t neglect them!)
4. Use weight training to make your body a fat burning machine.
Fact is the more muscle you have the more calories you burn on a daily basis. So it makes sense to add weight training to your program. Even if you are slender, many slender people are fat. I call these people skinny fat people because they have no muscle tone, just flab. They may look good with clothes on, but not off. Weight training is the only way to tighten up those flabby areas. Weight training will change the shape of your body and put everything back in the right place. You will also increase your bone density, have more energy throughout the day, have a go getter attitude, and look younger!
5. Do a workout that burns
3 x’s the calories
Workout lower and upper body in the same workout. When working out, alternate between upper and lower body exercises and don’t rest in between. Why? You will burn twice the amount of calories by doing multiple movements back and forth. I do this with my clients and incorporate core exercises as well. They are toning up, making their body a fat burning machine, doing their cardio, and getting a great core workout all in 1 hour!
6. Eat Fat Burning Foods
Some foods are known for their fat burning ability. Cayenne pepper, ginger, & garlic increase your metabolism, cuts fat, increases your circulation & oxygen in your body… They also kill bacteria, parasites, and fungi. Shake a bit of cayenne pepper in your protein shake, water, or juice on a daily basis. You can take up to, but no more than, 1 Tbl. of cayenne at a time. I know this may sound strange, but it works!
Eat foods that have high water content - apples, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers. These will fill you up, they have little calories and they help hydrate you which flush fat out of your body.
Eat greens or green super food powders-(spinach, green lettuce, parsley, cilantro, arugula, kale, wheat grass, barley grass).
Green vegetables are known for being super foods which are very high in vital vitamins and minerals. Greens are also high in fiber (as most vegetables are high in fiber) which pulls excess fat out of the body and keeps you "regular".
Greens reverse the aging process because the fight free radicals and are full of antioxidants. Green powders are a fast and easy way to increase your energy. They are also very alkalizing.
Alkalizing foods neutralize highly acidic foods (e.g. breads, sugars, coffee, sodas, dairy) which allows the body to detoxify and let go of excess fat.
Green will also boost your immune system and prevent you from getting sick. Eat salads daily and buy green powders.
Mix the green powder in a glass of water or in your smoothie
2 times per day. It can look scary green but the health benefits are worth it!
Eat healthy oils- Studies show that taking Essential Fatty Acids (e.g. flax seed oil, avocado, fish oils, coconut oil) actually help you lose weight! Take 1-3 tbl. oil every day.
I hope these tips help. Next week I will review different types of workout and give you my opinion of them.
Rich Bennett Key Fitness llc
Try our Key Fitness for 2 weeks free. Classes start in March call
941-773-3719 for details. One on one training is also available.