Progressive Set - Bicep Curls!

Here's how to do a progressive set: pick a set of light weights and do 15 reps, right away pick up medium weights and do 12 reps then finally heavy weights for 8 reps.  Rest for about 90 seconds and then do it in reverse: heavy weights for 8 reps, medium weights for 12 reps, light weights for 15 reps - no rest in between these.  The only rest you get is the 90 seconds before you do your heavy to light set.  Feel free to leave a comment :)

Even just 1 minute of physical activity is beneficial ;)

Portion Control!

A lot of people struggle with portion control.  Beachbody makes it easy by including these handy colour coded portion control containers with instructions on how to figure out how many to have each day to support your nutritional needs and your training needs with each challenge pack.  AND they have really tight fitting lids, so great for packing your food to go without worrying about it spilling ;)

Yup! I Became A Beachbody Coach!

About a year ago I decided to take a step outside my comfort zone and become a Beachbody Coach.  It was not a quick decision.  When I was first approached about the opportunity my first thought was "Beachbody.....ewww!  That sounds so gimmicky".  I'm not one to just dismiss something that comes my way though so I looked into it.

What I found out was I'd actually done some Beachbody workouts in the past to get some ideas for things to teach in my bootcamp classes and I LOVED the workouts.  Very solid workouts that really do get results.....if you do them ;)

So my next thing was to check into Shakeology 'the healthiest meal of the day'.  I've seen and tried A LOT of shakes in the past and have seen a lot of crap so I was skeptical.  Once again though I was pleasantly surprised!  The ingredients were amazing and the story behind how and why they were developed made it a no brainer for me.  The person who developed them was a vegan athlete tired of only being able to find shakes with questionable ingredients.  She put together an ingredient list that she wanted in a shake and her husband sourced out the ingredients from 3rd world country farms where the soil had not been destroyed by chemical pesticides.  The shakes are a bit pricey but once you learn the story you know why and you know that it's totally worth it.  This is fuel for your body!  Why would anyone want to cheap out on that?

I love that the program is all about helping end the obesity epidemic by providing high quality workouts and shakes and (most importantly) a well laid out plan with ongoing support.  The other thing that really grabbed me was how with each program we put our participants in a private Facebook group for accountability and support.  If any online program is going to work, this one will.  All you have to do is commit to the shakes and easy to follow nutrition plan (portion control) and press play.

The other great part about this is that I can actually help people start their own home business!  Whether they hate their current job and want a way out, or they want to spend more time with their kids by being able to work at home, or if they're like me and need another source of income to add to their already existing business I can provide the solution!  It hasn't been easy and I've put in a lot of time and effort but the potential is there and I get to be a part of an amazing team of other like minded entrepreneurs.  If you really want success in this business all you have to do is reach for it and with the support of your team you're going to get it! 

With Beachbody I can now help WAY more people get fit and healthy (I'm not just limited to the people I see in person) and I can help people become financially free and live the life they want!  I really want to help you so reach out to me when you're ready :)

My amazing team at Summit 2016

The Benefits of Exercise for Mesothelioma Patients

Guest post by Virgil Anderson:

The Benefits of Exercise for Mesothelioma Patients

The health benefits, generally, of getting regular exercise are well known. But what about exercise for people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other types of cancer? Is it safe to exercise while being treated? The truth is that not only is it safe, but exercise is beneficial for anyone living with mesothelioma. Of course, exercise for these patients should be approved by a mesothelioma doctor and guided by a professional. Here are some of the benefits a cancer patient will get from guided, structured exercise.

Exercise Reduces Fatigue

For patients of mesothelioma and other types of cancers, fatigue is a major roadblock to any kind of activity. Fatigue is a common symptom and side effect of cancer treatments. This isn’t just regular tiredness either; this is bone weary fatigue. It can be extremely difficult to feel motivated to do anything active, but in fact exercise actually reduces fatigue.

Studies have proven this and found that when patients follow an exercise regimen that is tailored for their individual needs, the fatigue lessens. When you feel less fatigued, you feel better generally and will be better able to cope emotionally with having and being treated for mesothelioma.

Increase Life Expectancy

Studies have also proven that exercise during cancer treatment extends a patient’s life expectancy. Getting that diagnosis of mesothelioma and a shortened life expectancy along with it is devastating. It is tempting to simply give up, but with exercise you can actually live longer and feel better during the time you have left.

Not only does exercise extend life expectancy for cancer patients, it also reduces the risk of a recurrence. If you are able to battle your mesothelioma and win, exercising regularly will make it more likely that you will be a long-term survivor.

Yoga Improves Sleep

Being treated for mesothelioma and other types of cancers can be uncomfortable. Treatments like chemotherapy cause a number of side effects and consequently make sleeping more difficult. Yoga has a number of health benefits, but for cancer patients one of the best may be that it helps sleep come more easily at night. It also helps to improve the quality of sleep. In turn, these benefits help patients feel more awake during the day and less fatigued.

Exercise Improves Physical Functioning

Being inactive means that losing some of the normal functioning of your body. For instance, cancer patients that are inactive may have atrophied muscles, which make ordinary activities more difficult. Balance can be impaired by inactivity as can movement in joints. Being inactive may even cause or worsen pain in the body.

By exercising regularly during cancer treatment you can improve your balance, keep strength in your muscles, and reduce your dependence on other people to help you do ordinary, daily tasks. Regular exercise also improves circulation, which can reduce pain and prevent the formation of blood clots.

Exercise and Emotional Health

Being sick with cancer, especially such an aggressive cancer as mesothelioma, is emotionally challenging. Living with this cancer and going through treatment causes depression, fear, and anxiety. Coping is not easy, but exercise can help. Regular physical activity improves mood, and reduces depression and anxiety. Exercising is also likely to force you to be social with other people, which further improves mood and helps with coping.

As a cancer patient receiving treatment that causes side effects, you have a lot to deal with. Exercise may seem like another chore to check off the list, but the benefits are overwhelmingly positive once you get started. With the right guidance and a carefully crafted workout plan, you can enjoy a better quality of life while you fight mesothelioma.

What Keeps You Motivated?

As a fitness professional I see people lose their motivation for health and fitness quite a bit.  I also see people who never seem to lose their motivation!  I decided to ask some friends what they do to keep themselves focused on their fitness and I wanted to share that with you because it might just help someone out there who's struggling a bit ;)

Here's what Anne had to say:

'I started running about 11 or 12 years ago with the motivation to lose 30 pounds in 3 months. I had a trip to Mexico planned with one of my friends, and we were going to rock out bikini bodies! I had great success with this. I lost 33 pounds in 3 months and felt amazing. My motivation at that point was all the feedback I was getting from my friends. They all kept telling me how inspirational I was.

This went on for a couple years until I injured. I was only running 10km distances at the time. I fell in and out of running until about 6-7 years ago. I was going through a messy divorce and remembered how good running was for my mental and emotional state, as well as the benefits to my body. I always felt so amazing during and after a run, so I started training for a 10km event. 

I fell in love all over again. People were once again telling me how inspirational I was to them. I set many people up with training plans and ran a few C25K running sessions. During those times I was training for a half marathon. I ran a few in that year. It was my friends and followers that kept me going when I felt down and ready to quit. I didn't want to let them down. 

Running at that point almost became an addiction. The pure rush of crossing that finish line is indescribable. I saw many people come and go with running. Of all the people that came to me for help very few of them ever followed through. They soon realized how hard it can be without seeing the rewards quickly. So, I started using the glory of crossing a finish line as motivation for them.

Being able to set a goal on paper, follow a training plan, and cross that line all on their own seemed to work. But, even at that people dwindled off. 
 
I am now an ultra runner. I ran my first 50km ultra mountain race this past August even after breaking my ankle last January. I still thrive on the inspiration given to me from others that "wish" they could do the things I do. 
 
My running hasn't been an easy road. I have had many injuries and many set backs, but like many addictions I just can't stay away. 
 
If I can say anything about keeping people motivated it would be to some how show them rewards and how inspirational they can be to others. It's almost like dangling a prize at the end!
People need to really want it in order to succeed.' 

Thanks Anne!!  Comment below on what reward would motivate you to keep active :)

My Push Goal!

I've been in business for myself for quite some time now - almost 18 years!  I started out as a contract fitness instructor and ran a bootcamp and finally I opened my studio almost 4 years ago (only suffered one 8 month blip that turned out to be a GREAT lesson - a big thank you to everyone involved and I'm seriously not being sarcastic) and things have been going really well - I've even managed to mostly recover from that 8 month blip.

What I'm now realizing is it's time to get super serious about the things that really don't come easy to me, namely my numbers.  I've been coasting along so far but to really be successful I know I need to know my numbers EXACTLY so I know which step to take next to really propel Wholey Fit to the next level and far beyond that :)

I'm truly not a numbers girl - my accountant was not shy about breaking that news to me ;)  I find numbers to be extremely boring and I often 'drift off' when I'm dealing with them.  It might seem odd for a business woman to be bad with numbers, but my deep passion for what I'm doing was what motivated me to start my own business.  I now have to step up and get super organized and do the stuff I don't really like in order to be able to continue doing what I love the way I want to do it.

So my big goal for this year, (some would call it a push goal) is to buckle down and carry out specific numbers tasks on specific days of the month (already got it written in my daytimer) so I can really steer my business in the direction of where I want it to go.....which is up!

Comment below to let everyone know what your big goal is ;)