Heart Healthy February Challenge

Since February is a heart healthy month SaFire Training is doing something special for you!  We are posting daily challenges on our facebook page to try everyday.  Each challenge is geared to help you either physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Most of the challenges are pretty simple and will bring a smile to your day.  Hint, hint smiling is a challenge for one of the days in February.  So if you want to give yourself a jump start on your health or to give yourself a boost throughout your day this challenge is for you! Like us today, so you won't miss a day in February!  www.facebook.com/safiretraining

Creative Exercises

There are a lot of different exercises that one can do.  How do you keep the creativeness into your workout routine?  Below are some great workout ideas for you to do to keep your lifting routine fresh!  Perform 2-3 sets and between 10-15 reps.

1. Plie squat into calf raise, with one arm raised over head and the other holding onto a body bar or a couch or chair.  Like above picture.

2. Russian Twists w/pass throughs- Leaning back into a russian twists as you are moving the ball from side to side lift your leg up and go underneath your leg to the other hand and repeat going back in the other direction.

3. Plank with leg lift- In low or high plank lift 1 leg straight up to the sky do all reps on 1 leg than switch to the other side.

4. Side Plank with hip dip and crunch- In side plank dip hip towards ground as soon as your back into plank position perform crunch across the body bringing elbow towards ground.  Repeat for allotted reps on 1 side than repeat other side.

5. Pullover with leg ext.- On bench or on the ground, with 1 heavy weight lift the weight straight back overhead and pull back up above your head.  When weight is above your head lower legs out as straight as you can go.  When legs are back to center slowly lower weight above head again.

Those are just a few creative exercises to incorporate into your workout routine.  Check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness videos.

What can we learn from professional athletes?

What can we takeaway from professional athletes in terms of fitness? Most people see professional athletes of any sport and we see fit.  Now there are always a few exceptions, but to play at the level they are playing at night in and night out they are in pretty good shape.  They eat healthy, travel a lot and get lots of fitness in an average week.  What can we do to model their behavior?  Only modeling their fitness behavior not their social behavior.

1. Intervals- Athletes are on the court running full speed for a short period of time than resting for a period of time. So add some intervals into your workout this week.  Sprint or run as fast as you can for 30 seconds-1 minute than rest/walk for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat for a 30 minute workout!

2. Watch what you eat-  To athletes nutrition is key.  What you eat 2 days before a competition is what affects your body.  So think about what it is doing to you if you don't eat well and than try to work out all week long.  After a workout do you binge yourself with junk food?  How does that affect you when your doing a hard workout?

3. Lift weights- To be the best athlete in any sport the athletes lift weights.  They lift to be stronger, faster and a bonus is the defined and tone muscles you see.  If you don't know where to start ask a trainer for help or check out SaFire Training website for free workout videos.

4. Rest Days-  Yes even professional athletes need a day of rest.  Whether they go to a light yoga class, or take a complete day off varies.  But you need a rest day as well.  That is your bodies best chance of toning those muscles and gaining strength.  Plus it will keep you from burning out.

Check in with that resolution

How is that resolution coming?  Just like this person in the picture above are you making small steps to get there or did you try to jump up all the steps at once?  I know studies show the person who starts making those small changes usually end up making their goal(s) stick.  The one who tries to overhaul their entire life to achieve the goal usually doesn't fair so well in 4 months from now.  So take a look at your goal, what can you do to achieve it today that is small and sustainable for the next year?  Start with the subtle shifts you can make in your life that won't throw you off course.  If it is a workout goal shoot for 3 days a week to start.  If you try to workout everyday, 1. You will burn yourself out.  2. You need a rest day, it is not good for your body to workout everyday.  So take a second look at your goals what can you do to break up your goals into small and reasonable tasks and goals.  If yours are already broken up see if you can add a second goal to your list.  Try this little things and eventually they will add up to one great goal achieved!

Check out SaFire Training for more information on achieving those goals!

Work that booty!

It's no secret I really like to work the booty.  I believe this muscle group is so neglected during the day that it needs to be strengthened, tightened, stretched, and toned.  It is the biggest muscle group in your body and we should be working it to be the powerhouse of the lower body.  So below is a great workout to work that booty! 

With all the exercises perform 3 sets if your advanced, 1-2 sets if your starting out.

1. Reverse lunge- 

In lunge position step backwards forming 90 degrees in the front leg and 90 degrees with the back leg.  Chest should be lifted up, eyes facing forwards.  Alternate legs sinking down into your glutes to really get that burn.  Use weights if you want more resistance.  Perform this exercise- 10-12 reps.

2. Angled Glute Lifts 

On all 4's pulse leg out behind you lifting up to side and down.  Perform this exercise 20 times each leg.

3. Side lunge with a leg raise

(The ball is not necessary) 

Perform a side lunge over to one side of the body.  As you are standing upright lift opposite leg straight in the air.  Repeat back on one side of the body.  Do all 10 reps on left side of body before switching to the right side. 

4. Squat Jumps

Squat down as you reach your lowest point reach arms upwards quickly and exploding up onto toes and jumping up as high as possible.  Land back in squat position absorbing the landing with your glutes.  Perform this for 30 seconds. 

5. Squats to a side kick

Perform squat as you are coming to the top kick leg out quickly to the side and perform another squat and as you stand quickly kick with the other leg.  Perform 16 total kicks alternating sides. 

6. Deadlifts 

Keeping dumbbells in front of quads slowly shift weight back towards glutes.  Slowly lower weights down to the ground keeping legs straight but knees not locked.  As you reach the ground (or as low as you can go)  pull up to standing position using your glutes and hamstrings.  You want to be slow and in control of your body the entire time.  Perform 10-12 reps.

These are 6 great exercises you can do to help you tone and tighten that tush.  Check out www.safiretraining.com for a video on how to do these moves.

How is your mental game?

We are going on 2 weeks into the new year and how are your goals and resolutions coming?  If you haven't started that is fine today is as good as any to start.  What is holding you back from starting or from really going after your goals?  Is it physical or mental?  A lot of times when your tired and exhausted and want to skip the gym it is more mentally you tell yourself you can't, your to tired, not enough time, its going to be too crowded.  Well all of those excuses are mental ones and its time for you to get your game straight.

I want you to write down a list of your top 5 excuses for not going to the gym, your top 5 excuses for eating the junk food in your cupboard.  After you have done so now next to your response right down how your going to change that.  What are you going to tell yourself as your reaching for that bag of cookies to make you stop.  What is your mantra going to be so you make it to the gym after work.  What are you going to tell yourself as your reaching over to hit the snooze instead of going to the gym in the morning.  Once you have your excuses covered your mental game is getting to the right spot to make those fitness goals become a reality.

Check out www.safiretraining.com for more information.

Why you need fat in your diet

Fat is not the enemy anymore.  Well when it comes to nutrition.  Fat from healthy foods are actually good for you!  The fats you want and should avoid are saturated fats and trans fats make sure you read the labels so you know if your foods contain those 2 fats.  Well what fats do I eat you ask?  Well you want to consume monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.  

So what foods contain those healthy fats:

1. Salmon
2. Nuts: Almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts 
3. Olive Oil
4. Sunflower oil
5. Peanut oil
6. Avocados 
7. Peanut butter
8. ToFu
9. Tuna Fish
10. Soymilk 

 Those are just a few of the foods that contain the healthy fat you need to make your body work.  Most people need to consume around 20-30% of their diet should be coming from fat.  So fat is a good thing as long as you are eating the healthy version and avoiding the baked treats, and heavily processed foods.  For more information check out SaFire Training.

Sleek arms in no time!

Well how do you work those arms so you don't have the saggy waving action that everyone dreads.  Well below is a great workout to get your arms in tip-top shape!  Since the triceps make up 70% of your upper arm that is why I have quite a few triceps moves. Watch my youtube channel at Andrea Eilertson for the workout video coming soon.

Perform below exercises 2 times a week.  3 sets and 10-12 reps of each.

Equipment Needed
-Stability Ball
-Light & heavy dumbbells

1. Dips- shown in the picture above.  (Leg raise is optional)

2.  Triceps Kickbacks- Bend at the waist slightly, kick arms straight out behind you hold for a second and bring back into sides keep repeating this motion for allotted reps.

3. Bicep Curls to shoulder press (wrists facing inwards)- Perform a bicep curl at the top of the curl push arms upwards towards the sky.  Keep wrists facing your face the entire time and bring down to finish bicep curls.

4. 3 way delt-raises- Raise arms straight forwards than to lateral raise and bend slightly at the waist to finish with a rear delt raise.

5. Diagonal Triceps extension on stability ball- Rest shoulders and head on stability ball, hips high in the air.  Take one arm above head and lower at angle close to ear and pull up over head.  Repeat.

6. Triceps Push-ups- You will perform push-ups with elbows tucked in close to sides rubbing the ribs with your arms.  Can perform on knees this is quite a difficult move and hurts the front of the shoulder.

7. Concentration Curls- Sit on stability ball with back of the arm on the inside of the leg.  Curl arm up towards your face and lower.  The entire time keeping your elbow on the leg.

8. Chest Press to triceps extension- Resting your head and shoulder on the stability ball lower and raise arms out to side to push-up and hold weights above the chest and than lower weights to the sides of the ears and pull back up using the triceps (back of your arm) than perform another chest press to triceps extensions.

Check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness videos!

Get your goals right

Now that it is the New Year people are planning their goals for the year.  If you haven't done that yet no worries you have plenty of time all year to get goals written.  I wrote some of my best goals in the summer of last year.  I started my own training business last August which was a huge goal of mine to get off the ground. So don't stress yourself over making a goal right now if you don't have one in mind wait until it comes to you.  But if you are ready to make a goal of sorts go ahead and start now by following these tips.

1. Keep the goal realistic.  Don't say your going to lose 50lbs in 2 months and expect it to happen.  Don't say your going to quit your job in a week and pursue your passion when you financially won't be able to make it.
-Losing 1-2lbs a week is safe so stick to small but reasonable increments.  As far as pursing your passion I'm all for that but make sure you have a saved up at least 3 months of income when your starting your new business.

2. Put a time table on your goal.  If you don't have a set date you want to achieve something it most likely will not happen.  So make sure you have a time frame of when you want that goal to be achieved.

3. Tell someone about your goal.  Your more likely to go after that goal if you tell a friend, spouse, mother, father and let them know the date in which you want it achieved as well.

4. Really think about what you want to achieve this year.  Take a day or two to really think what is it I truly want to see happen in 2013.  Meditate on it, resist the urge in asking others what your goal should be really have it be your goal.

Let me know what your goal(s) are this year and leave a comment below.

For more information check out www.safiretraining.com