Sizzling workout trends of 2014

Some have said fitness has more trends then a high school hallway.  This can be true there are always new ideas, new twists on old classics, and fitness professionals that contradict each other.  So what is a person to do when they are on information overload with new tricks & gadgets?  Well this post is going to go into all of the sizzling workout trends of 2014.

1. Online Training- Online training in various forms are becoming quite convenient for the public.  People are skipping the gyms and working out at home.  It is quite easy to get a great workout in from the comfort of your own living room with little equipment and a program to follow.  Check out SaFire Trainings online program to learn more about what we offer.
2. HITT Training- I'm a huge fan of HITT training (High intensity interval training).  That is done when you get your heart rate up high then slow it down and then repeat back to high intensity.  This helps burn calories after the workout for many hours.  This is a great choice for people if you need to do a workout in less time as well.
3. 55+ Training- With the growing population of the baby boomers this group of people want to workout and live a healthy life.  So there are new classes offered to entice this population to find a niche that they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.
4. Various versions of yoga- Yoga is a constant when it comes to trends.  This year is no different.  There are brand new ways to find a class you enjoy.  You can find yoga for people looking to sculpt the muscles, repair the muscles, or get a workout in using various props.  A great app to find local yoga classes near you is om finder.
5. Strength Training- Finally women are understanding the benefits of strength training and seeing results.  Strength training is now a trend!! Strength training not only tones the body but helps you burn more calories at rest, it helps build strong bones, you become stronger so you can lift that 20lb cat litter into your own car.  Strength training routines can be found all over pinterest boards, and websites.  The key is to build your program to optimize your results, that is one thing personal trainers can help you with.

As always if you want to learn more fitness tips & tricks check out SaFire Training for new topics each week.

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What P!nk can teach us about fitness

One of  my favorite artists is P!nk .  I love how she actually sings, dances & puts on a show.  She really works hard on stage.  So you can imagine she is in wonderful shape.  I mean who can forget her 2010 grammy performance singing upside down in a swing.  She is a true performer.  Well she has been on the cover of numerous Women's Health & Shape magazines throughout the year.  What can we learn from P!nk to help us with our own fitness journeys?  Read on below to discover what we can learn from this amazing artist.

1. She is not afraid to sweat:  P!nk is a hard worker she does what she needs to do to get a heavy, hard workout in.  She isn't one to lift the light weights and expect big changes.  When she was pregnant shedding her 55 pound weight gain she was training with heavy weights, medicine balls and interval training.
2. Add a little Pilates to your life: She balanced her heavy lifting routine with pilates.  Now for P!nk pilates maybe more needed in terms of her performances.  She has clean lines when performing and wonderful body control which are notably present in pilates.
3. She works her core: P!nk throughout the years has been known for her hardcore abs.  After giving birth her trainer has stated she trains her abs 7 days a week.  Now when training 7 days a week  you will want to lift light weights.  (Also what P!nk does) she combines pilates, bands, rings, & balls for her ab routine.  If you do lift heavy for abs I would recommend taking rest days in between lifting days for your abs.  They are like other muscle groups & do need a rest in between lifting days.
4. Don't expect a quick fix: P!nk's workout takes 60-90 minutes, 5 days a week.  Fitting that workout into your day is required medicine for everyone.  Make that time for yourself it will help you feel better, stay in shape later in life, & give you that body confidence most people need.
5. Watch what you eat: To me fitness encompasses not just your workout but your nutrition & motivation as well.  P!nk eats very clean healthy meals.  She enjoys lots of veggies, & other "superfoods".  She also enjoys protein but she is a vegetarian so her protein does not come in the meat form.  You have to decide for yourself which type of protein you enjoy.  Lean protein helps build that coveted lean muscle which helps you burn more fat at rest.

In honor of P!nk below is a great core & booty workout to help you start your P!nk fitness regimen.

As always check out SaFire Training for more fitness tips & inspiration!

In good health,

Andrea

Fitness life after baby

One of my favorite clientele to work with are pre/post natal women.  I specialize in helping women get their pre-baby body back.  One of the keys to doing so is having a game plan both before, during & after pregnancy. Be realistic you probably will not be able to spend hours at the gym anymore.  You should not beat yourself up for not spending as much time as you were before baby.  You have a new little one priorities change and you will need to adjust your life accordingly.  So below are tips that will help you reach your ideal body and show you your fitness life after baby.

Tips for Pre-Baby Body Bounce Back

1.  Start small: If you worked out during pregnancy you should start where you left off.  As long as you don't have diastasis recti (when your abdominals split) you should start with core moves.  Bird/Dogs, planks, cat/camel pose.  Make sure you get your doctors permission before you start any workout program post baby.  
2. Don't beat yourself up: If you can't do as many reps, weight, or even run as long as you used to don't fret.  You just had a child and your body needs to recover.  If you worked out during pregnancy your body will bounce back quicker then if you didn't workout during pregnancy.
3. Set smart goals: Don't worry about I have to lose 30 pounds to get my body back.  Set small monthly goals.  A reasonable amount is 1-2 pounds a week, so setting a goal of 8 pounds a month is reasonable.  Stick to those smaller goals rather then trying to tackle losing the 30 lbs in the first month.  You didn't put that weight on in 1 month and you most likely will not take it off in 1 month.
4. Watch what you eat: If you are breast feeding you will need to consume extra calories usually 300-500 calories.  When eating those "extra" calories watch what you are eating.  Don't gorge on junk food, wine, and potato chips.  Make them count and feed your body with nourishment.  This will help you reach your fitness goals a little faster as well.
5. Work out at home: New mommies don't always have the time to pack up their gym bags,  your new babies clothes, diaper bag and then get in the car unload everything, drive to the gym, unpack the car, then drop off the baby at the childcare center.  That can take up to 30 minutes just doing those tasks.  If you know you won't get to the gym invest in some dumbbells.  Start with 2 sets a lighter & heavier set.  You can do so much with a set of dumbbells & bodyweight while your baby is napping.  Don't think you can't get results at home.  I personally love a good workout at home to get a little variety in my usual gym setting environment.

Those are just a few examples to get you started on your workouts, nutrition & motivation pre-baby.  One thing that always helps is writing down your goals or having a friend help you out as well.

As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness & nutrition information.  Don't forget to sign-up below for our bi-weekly fitness tips that only our subscribers get. 

In good health,

Andrea

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Is alcohol keeping you from losing those last 10 pounds?

It's Friday night you've had a long week and you reach for that bottle of wine?  Before you know it the bottle of wine is gasp, empty!  Well there went that diet as you were consuming that wine you had an extra piece of pizza and then a cookie or two and before you know it you've consumed over 1000 calories!  Saturday rolls around you have a slight headache and just feel like sleeping in.  There goes that gym date you said you were going to do in the morning.  Then later in the day your friend says hey lets meet up for a few drinks.  Before you know it you just repeated Friday night all over again.  You miss your Sunday workout and take a nap later in the day.  Then Monday comes around and your back on your strict clean eating plan.  You might have an occasional drink in the week but nothing major.  Is this cycle going to make you gain weight?

Well over the course of many months yes this will add up on the waist line.  This is not the healthiest lifestyle to lead.  Does this mean no alcohol ever?  Well no I typically tell clients 3 drinks or under a week to keep yourself in decent shape.  So when it comes time for that night out really think twice about how much & what your going to drink.  Those sugar laden drinks can really cost you your fitness goals.  So when you look at your fitness goals and think is alcohol keeping you from losing those last 10 pounds?  Look at the checklist below to help you keep your waistline in check.

Keep things in check, checklist

• Have fewer then 3 drinks a week
• Get out of the habit of drinking mid-week
• Don't get in the habit of splitting a bottle of wine with your spouse on a nightly basis
• Keep to drinks without added sugars.  Think water or soda water
• Wine & dark beer do have health benefits
• Understand a serving size a large glass of wine is actually 2-3 drinks
• Watch what you eat when you indulge in a drink

Start with one or all of the steps above to keep yourself from gaining weight and in the end hopefully losing a few pounds as well.

In good health,

Andrea

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Banging Body Part 4

Now that you have went through the first 3 weeks of the year by hopefully getting clear on what your goals are and mapping out your year and what you want to achieve now is the fun part actually doing it!  So easier said then done.  You want to make sure that you have your workouts programmed into your calendar and don't break those appointments with yourself.  Each month you want to reassess what your workout plan is for that month.  Don't just think in terms of cardio plan out your flexibility (yoga for example) and strength training.  Now get ready to learn the last installment of banging body part 4.

 

The best chance that you have to make a lasting impression on your lifestyle is to figure out how fitness fits into your life.  There is not a one size fits all approach to fitness in terms of what you should do more cardio, more strength training, more yoga.  The one that works best is the one that you enjoy doing.  For example if you absolutely hate running but you  hear all the time that running is good for you doesn't mean you should start running.  Most likely you will do it for the first week maybe two of your plan but you dread doing it so much you stop with the plan all together.  So when looking at a sustainable lifelong fitness plan make sure you include activities that you enjoy doing and actually will do.

My last piece of advice on attaining that banging body is find someone that can help hold you accountable.  Whether that is a friend, co-worker or you may need to hire a trainer to help you with your goals.  Make sure this person will motivate you and help push you to your goals and not hinder them.  So don't choose the friend who always wants to go to happy hour as a gym partner or accountability partner.  You most likely will be talked out of your fitness endeavors that day.  The main thing is to stay consistent and stay focused on those goals!

As always head to SaFire Training for more fitness tips & inspiration.  If you haven't already sign-up for our newsletter below so you won't miss any insider information that only our subscribers learn.

First Name * Email *   In good health,  Andrea

Banging Body Part 3

Now that we have went over our yearly goals, monthly goals & scheduling our workouts into our weeks.  How do we actually achieve those goals?  The first of the year it seems is the easiest time for people to keep their motivation high and motivate themselves to head to the gym daily.  As February approaches you start to see the numbers drop off and as March is here the numbers are drastically lower.  So now that you made your fancy year goals click here to refresh your mind on part 1.  Plus have your monthly plan set into place click here if you need a refresher on part 2.  Now read on for banging body part 3 and how to keep that motivation rolling.    

Now onto the motivation aspect what sets apart the occasional fitness fans from the diehard its a lifestyle fans, that is the million dollar question.  One of the key things you need to do to stay motivated to achieve your goals is to focus on the journey and not just the destination.  A lot of people quit their fitness habits in the first month or two because they don't see the scale budge.  How frustrating they are busting their butts and nothing is happening!!  That is the number one deal breaker for people.  Most people just give up and throw the towel in, what?? I'm here to tell you not to throw that towel in.  Life is full of ups & downs we don't throw the towel in on ourselves every time something doesn't go our way.  Fitness should be no different.  You need to focus not just on that pesky scale but how your feeling as well.  Remember those goals you wrote from part 1 not just that you wanted to do a certain activity you wrote how you would feel.  I know not seeing the results instantly can be a deal breaker in this instant gratification world we live in but slow and steady truly does win the healthy race.  

Above is an example of my personal January promise and what I want to accomplish this month.  I plan to create one each month this year on what I want to do not what someone tells me I should want.  I think that is our first mistake on not reaching our goals.  So you have a goal weight in mind did you pick that weight or you were told by a friend, magazine, tv show that you should be that weight.  Really start to look at your goals and what you want to accomplish.  So your task this week is to create your January promise.  Since we are a few weeks into the year you have an idea of what has worked for you and what has not thus far and plan accordingly.  Resist the urge to work on February lets take this one month/day at a time.   As always check out SaFire  Training for more fitness & nutrition information. 

In good health,

 Andrea 

Banging Body Part 2

Last week we went over setting goals for the 1st-4th quarter of the upcoming year.  In case you missed it you can read part 1 here.  If your ready to move on to part 2 for your banging body read on!  To help you reach your goals you need to start your fitness journey.  Make sure you have developed a plan or hire a trainer to help you with your plan.  Below is my own workout calendar for the month of January.  I typically do this for my own clients and decided that I should start doing this for my own workouts.

I understand things come up and you might need to switch your Saturday workout to Thursday during the last week of the month and typically that is okay.  Your next step after having your workout mapped out for the month is to put your workouts into your schedule.  You want to make sure these are appointments that cannot be broken.  They are non-negotiable if you want to go to a last minute happy hour but haven't got your workout in for the day you will have to skip happy hour.  It can be tough at first but you need to put your health first and realize there will always be happy hours in the future.  Notice to really get that banging body it is not just about saying it you have to do the work to achieve those goals.

After having your workouts into place the next step is to look at your nutrition.  Make sure you have planned ahead, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.  I'm sure everyone has heard that quote but it is so true!  People get busy, mid-week your home you forgot to plan ahead and now are at a drive-thru or eating every junk food you have in your cupboards.   I tell my  clients to plan on their day off usually everyone has a day off or even an hour off at some point in their week.  Resist the urge to just sit in front of the tv and zone out plan ahead instead.  You don't have to overwhelm yourself by planning your entire week in that one day though that is great if you can.  Plan what 2-3 meals you will cook & either freeze or eat the leftovers during the week.  This is one great way to keep up on your fitness goals.

So now that you have your goals set & a plan in place next week will be part 3 of having a banging body.  Hint, we will be discussing motivation & how you actually can reach those goals.

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Tips for losing the last 10 pounds