Walking workouts

Walking is the new running or so it seems.  Quite a few people do not like to run for various reasons ranging from it is hard on their knees, they don't feel they are in good enough shape, they prefer other ways to work on their cardio capacity, it is boring, and they just flat out hate it.  Well this post today is all about a walking workout.  You can get a great workout by walking if you incorporate some intervals into your routine.  Below are a few great walking workout options based on your current cardiovascular capacity or how in shape you feel you are. 

  

Workout option #1- Beginners 

1. Walk at a slower pace to warm-up the body- 5 Minutes
2. Increase the pace to a brisk walk- 2 Minutes
3. Walk at starting pace- 2 Minutes
4. Brisk pace walking- 1 Minute
5. Walk at starting pace- 1 Minute

*Repeat this cycle for a total of 20-30 minutes based on your time allotted. 

Workout option #2- Intermediate 

1. Walk at a slower pace to warm-up the body- 5 Minutes
2. Walk at a power walking pace- 3 Minutes
3. Walk at starting pace- 1 Minute

*Repeat this cycle for a total of 30-60 minutes based on your time allotted. 

The above interval minutes are just guidelines or suggestions.  You can range your  time spent performing your intervals anywhere from 20 seconds to 5 minutes.  Make sure the pace you choose is sustainable for the time you pick.  For example if you try and do 5 minutes at a power walking pace but start slowing down at minute 3 you might want to change it to 3 minute intervals instead of 5 minutes.  The main thing is to just get moving, don't use your hate of running against you.  Walking is an acceptable way to get a great workout in if you utilize it correctly. 

As always if you want more information check out www.safiretraining.com. 

I'm on vacation next week so will get back to you on July 9th!  Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Take your workouts outdoors

Take your workouts outdoors

Now that it is finally getting warming up and the sun is starting to occasionally shine it’s time to mix up your fitness routine.  I know I’m not the only one who gets tired of being indoors for their workout 8 months out of the year.  A lot of people get stuck in the what to do outside workout regime.  Most people resort to steady state cardio when outdoors.  There are many other possibilities for yourself to try to give your workout a good boost.  I recently have been taking my workouts outdoors and am loving the variety and change of atmosphere.  My personal favorite outside workouts are interval training, playing tennis, using the TRX and getting in a total body workout.  Below are some great ideas for you to mix up your workouts this summer season to give a little spice back into your workout routine.

Outdoor Workout Ideas

1. Head to the trails and give intervals a try.  Mix up your pace by going fast for 1 minute than walking 1 minute.  As you get in better shape change your time to 1-5 minutes of a fast pace run and a 1 minute rest. 
2. Sign up for a 5K and start training.
3. TRX workouts- see the picture at right.  There are great TRX exercises and workouts check out youtube for great ideas.
4. Try out an outdoor bootcamp class.  Check your local gyms and papers for classes near you.  You can also check out Hustle & Muscle bootcamp class if your in the Twin Cities area.
5. Bring your weights outside.  Mix it up and bring a set of dumbbells outside to have the outdoor scenery as your backdrop.
6. Go for a bike ride.
7. Break out the rollerblades.
8. Go for a swim at your local watering hole.
9. Try a playground workout.  Check out http://safiretraining.com/playground-workout/ for a workout routine.
10. Take your dog for a walk.  Keep your pooch happy and get an extra workout in for the day by taking your dog for a walk around your neighborhood.
11. Outdoor yoga.  Head to your local beach, or yoga studio and ask when there next outdoor yoga class is.  Most yoga studios will have connections to point you in the right direction.

As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more information on fitness and nutrition.

Clean Eating Summer Foods

Everyone loves a good summer treat with the warmer weather, kids out of school, running from one event to another.  Most people need quick and easy recipes and foods to eat on the go.  I advice all my clients to eat clean.  In case you have never heard of that or need a refresher on what clean eating is below are some guidelines to follow.

• Whole grain foods
• Fruits & Vegetables are staples in this way of life 
• Avoid processed foods as much as possible
• Eat 5-6 small meals a day
• Avoid sugar loaded drinks and foods
• Limit alcohol
• Stick to proper portion sizes 

So where can you find healthy clean eating recipes for all your summer eats & treats?  Below are two great websites with tons of fabulous recipes.  I have posted 2 recipes below one from each website.  I encourage you to try them! 

The first recipe is a tried and true breakfast treat.  I have many of my clients say they can eat this as dessert it tastes so sweet and is delicious!  The website you want to check out for this recipe is at www.cleaneatingmag.com 

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium bananas
• 2 cups 1% cottage cheese
• 6 tbsp all-fruit strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel and cut each banana in half lengthwise. Place 2 banana halves in a shallow dish or bowl (or a deep traveling container if you’re off to work). Using an ice cream scooper, place 1/2 cup cottage cheese over center of banana and top with 1 1/2 tbsp jam, 1 tbsp peanuts and pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble 3 more Breakfast Banana Splits. Serve immediately.

Nutrients per banana split: Calories: 255, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 44 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 25 g, Protein: 17 g, Sodium: 460 mg, Cholesterol: 4.5 mg

The second recipe is from another favorite website of mine http://busygirlhealthylife.com/ Lori Harder publishes her personal recipes she creates right on her website they taste great and are clean eats as well! 

Summer Kale Salad 

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups kale leaves, chopped without spine
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup Asiago cheese
• Dash hot pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup strawberries, chopped
• 2 4-6 oz. chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup shredded cabbage - purple or yellow
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. In a lightly sprayed frying pan, add garlic and salt. Then sauté chicken, pine nuts and green onion until cooked through or lightly browned.
2. In a separate bowl, combine kale, water chestnuts, hot pepper flakes, mint, strawberries, cabbage and carrots.
3. For the dressing, in a blender or Magic Bullet, combine olive oil, lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, Asiago cheese and a dash of pepper and salt. Blend until smooth and pour over kale mixture. Let set at least 5 minutes before serving.
4. Combine all ingredients including chicken, and mix well.
5. Tip: Feel free to do this with shrimp, tofu or just serve plain. It’s delicious!

As always check out www.safiretraining.com  for more fitness and nutrition tips! 

Help! I need to lose 40lbs in 4 Months.

We have all been there, I need to lose x amount of pounds by x date.  How do you go about getting there?  Well first make sure you plan ahead.  You cannot lose 40lbs in 2 months and expect not to gain some weight back.  You can lose 1-2lbs a week successfully and keep it off.  If you go much more than that you risk gaining it all back and some extra lbs.  Below are some tips to how to get started on your weight loss goal.

Tips

1. Make sure you have your date in mind and subtract on average 1.5lbs a week.  That will give you a "number" goal to try and hit.  
2. Start with 3-4 workouts a week if your not currently working out.  Perform 5-6 workouts a week if your currently active.
3. Mix it up with weights & cardio- To get the most bang for your buck make sure your working your muscles as well as your heart.  Remember every pound of muscle burns an additional 50 calories at rest.  Extra motivation for you to grab a dumbbell! 
4. Intervals- When doing cardio make sure you throw in some intervals.  To perform intervals start out at a slower pace than increase to a faster pace.  Repeat this pattern for a total of 20-30 minutes.
5. Count your calories even if it is just a week- Make sure you are watching your calories.  I always advise clients to log their food for the first week so they can get an understanding of how many calories they actually consume.  My personal favorite online tracker is www.myfitnesspal.com they have a phone app as well. 
6. Clean Eating- Make sure your eating clean.  Which means make sure your eating non-processed foods.  Look for foods with less than 10 ingredients on the label.  Stick to whole grains, vegetables, fruits & lean proteins.  
7. Log your workouts- Hold yourself accountable by logging your workouts on a calendar.  You can print off a workout schedule online.  Just google "workout calendar" and print one off to monitor your progress.
8. Pay attention to more than just your weight- Take your measurements as well.  So as to not get discouraged if your weight is not budging.  It takes up to 12 weeks before you see any changes.  Measure the following body parts monthly- Chest, waist (at the narrowest), hips (at the widest), both thighs, both arms.  
9. Don't weigh yourself everyday- Your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds everyday based on if your retaining water, needing to use the restroom, what time of day you weigh yourself.  I usually recommend people to weight themselves monthly.  If you can't go that long try bi-weekly. 
10. Find an accountability partner- Having someone to report to on a weekly basis wether it be online, a friend, relative or personal trainer will help hold you accountable to achieving your goals.  They will motive you to achieve your personal best.  If you feel your accountability partner is not doing that than find a new partner.  

As always look for free videos and workout content on www.safiretraining.com for more information. 

In Good Health,

 Andrea 

Swimsuit Body Workout-No Equipment Needed!

Well if your looking to get that swimsuit body in time for Summer and you live in Minnesota you still have time! Below is a great workout for you to drop a few pounds, tone up and have fun doing it!  No equipment is needed for this workout.

*Perform this workout for 45 seconds of the exercise / 15 seconds rest if intermediate to advanced and if your a beginner 30/45 split.  Perform the below workout 1-3 times.

Round 1
1. Mountain Climbers
2. Push-ups
3. Squats
4. V-ups

Round 2
1. Burpees
2. Dips
3. Lunges
4. Crunches

Round 3
1. Bear Crawl
2. Triceps Push-ups
3. Single leg dead lifts
4. Plank

Round 4
1. Crab Walk
2. T-push-ups
3. Side Lunges
4. Side Planks

Before you know it your ready for a swimsuit!  Perform the above workout 2-3 times a week.  As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness videos & workout tips!  If you want even more tips sign up for my newsletter: Fit Tips Newsletter

Slammin 6 Pack

Everyone is looking to get a 6 pack right before summer or perfect the one they have (I am no different).  So below I have some of the tips I personally follow to get my 6 pack right before I hit the beach.  Below my tips I also have a great abs workout to do 2-3 times a week.

Tips for getting that flat stomach

1. Watch your sugar intake- Sugar tends to be as addictive as some drugs the new studies have been showing.  Sugar tends to make you crave more food which will add to your waist line.  Processed foods tend to be the worst culprits for finding hidden sugars. 
2. Watch sodium- Sodium makes people bloat which will expand your belly in which you are trying to slim down in time for swimsuit season.  
3. Perform planks right away in the morning- Get your planks in right away in the morning.  Your transverse abdomins will stay nice and tight all day long. 
4. Throw some intervals into your routine- Intervals help rid your belly of that excess fat.  Intervals can be done on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike.  Go at a fast pace for 1 minute, than a slower pace 1 minute.  If you want to mix it up even more try 30 or 15 second intervals.
5. Drink 3-6 cups of green tea a day- Green tea has been shown to help rid the body of excess fat, helps reduce stress, weight loss, decrease risk of multiple diseases.  Most of the studies done were with 3-6 cups a day.  Just make sure your near a bathroom.
6. Add an ab workout 1-2x a week- Your abdominal muscles are like any other muscle group and they do need to be trained.  They are worked when doing other exercises but throw in an ab routine or two a week to really get those muscles firing.  There is a great routine below to spice up your workouts. 
7. Get your sleep 8-9 hours- Make sure you get your sleep.  The less sleep you get the more your metabolism is affected.  When your metabolism is  not working as strong as it should be the fewer calories you are burning.  Which leads to weight gain.  
8. Try some yoga- Finally make sure you have something that you can relax doing.  Many people take up yoga, mediation, cooking, or just going for an afternoon walk.  Whatever you feel less stress doing make sure you add that into your calendar daily.  

Ab Workout

Amount:

• 2-3 sets
• 10 reps 
• Perform 1-2 times a week 

Equipment Needed:

• Medicine Ball Or Dumbbell- Exercise 1, 4
• Cables: Exercise 1 (optional) 
• Stability Ball: Exercise 4, 5 

1.  Woodchoppers (with cables if you have access)- Start at the right knee than move backwards up and over your left shoulder.  Repeat this for all reps than switch sides.   If you have access to cables in a gym you can try cables. 
2. Rotating plank- Resting in a plank position, elbows on ground knees can be either off or on the ground.  Rotate over to your right shoulder holding a side plank, than roll over to the other side to hold a side plank on the opposite side.  Keep rotating back & forth between right & left forearms. 
3. Inchworm to push-up- Start in a standing position, walk your hands down to a push-up position, perform a push-up than walk your hands back to your feet and roll back to a standing position. 
4. Sit up cross body punch w/DB- Either on the floor or on a stability ball roll up and punch with a DB across your body.  Than roll back down and crunch up and punch across the other side of the body.  
5. SB- Knee tucks w/twist- Your hands in a high plank, tops of feet resting on a stability ball, drive knees into chest than release the ball back out towards feet.  Next time you pull the ball in pull to the side of the body at an angle working the obliques.  Kick the ball back out and pull into the other side working the opposite oblique.  Repeat this pattern between the middle & oblique muscles. 
6. Double Crunches- Lying on your back.  Crunch up once at the bra line than as high as you can go than relax down to bra line, than down to ground.  Repeat that pattern when performing the double crunch. 
7. Plank w/glute lifts- In a forearm plank raise right leg up to the sky for 10 reps than switch to the left leg and pulse leg up to the sky. 
8. Side Plank- w/hip dip to crunch- Placing your forearm on the ground and either on your toes or knees, lift hip off the ground.  Once the hip is in the air dip your hip to the ground than place hand behind the head and crunch over towards the ground.  Repeat between a hip dip to a crunch.  Perform all 10 reps on one side than switch to opposite side. 

As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness information and free video workouts and to sign-up for my free bi-weekly newsletter filled with even more great fitness information! 

Beach Body in No Time

Beach Body Training 

Are you looking to get a beach body in time for Summer?  Yes, you still have time if your goal is to do a tone up and lose a few lbs before you put on you swimsuit.  Below are some tips for you to follow and a great beach body workout.

Beach Body Training Tips

1. Write down your calories- If you want to truly be accountable for what you are eating start tracking your food intake.  I know this can seem like a pain but studies have shown you are 80% more likely to lose weight if your tracking your food.  
2. Avoid excess sugar- Make sure you are not going over in your daily sugar intake.  This is key if your trying to get your body ready for that swimsuit.  Track where your  sugars are coming from.  Is it fruit or the sugary beverage you drank at 3pm?   
3. Drink green tea- Green tea has shown to help decrease belly fat.  So drink up and enjoy a cup or 3 a day to help keep your middle tightened. 
4. Perform intervals- Hit the trails up and incorporate some intervals.  Instead of going for a steady state walk, jog or run.  Mix up your pace going 1 minute at a moderate pace the next minute go as fast as you can.  Perform those interval rounds for a total of 20-30 minutes.  Intervals help you burn calories long after the workout is over. 
5. Get enough sleep- Sleeping is vital for getting the body you want.  If your constantly craving unhealthy foods, always tired, can't work out because your exhausted. Chances are you need to get some more sleep.  Aim for 7-8 hours a night to keep your body and mind running smoothly throughout your day. 
6. Strength train 2-3x a week- Ladies strength training helps you tighten and tone the body.  Do not shy away from the weights.  Having definition throughout your body is the new "hip" thing to be doing.  Out is the super skinny figure, in is the curvy well muscled bodies.  So get that triceps muscle showing, highlight that 6 pack, and enjoy the nice quad sweep.  Plus for every pound of muscle you burn an additional 50 calories. 
7. Work those abs- Last but not least, most females are looking to tone up their mid-section when it comes to swimsuit season.  I have some great videos on my website with ab routines as well as my 3 prong abs method.  If you want more information or to receive the 6 prong abs method click the link at right. http://eepurl.com/wk5h5 

Beach Body Workout

• This workout is geared to work the entire body.  
• This workout is for intermediate to advanced exercisers 
• Perform it 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days.  
• Repeat 2-3 times and 10 reps all the exercises.  

1. Curtsey lunges with bicep curls- Step right leg behind left as if your performing a curtsey at the same time bring wrists facing the sky to perform a bicep curl. 
2. Dips with a toe reach- Hands behind you with your legs either bent at 90 degrees a little easier or legs straight a little tougher.  Drop butt towards ground and than lift your butt in the air.  Balance left hand on bench reach right arm towards left foot.  Slowly lower down. (If your a beginner just perform the dips)
3. Plie squats with lateral raises- Place feet out wider than shoulder width and squat down slowly raise arms up to shoulder height to perform a lateral raise.  As you stand release arms back down to sides. 
4. Chest Press to skull crusher- Resting back on the ground or a bench, drop arms to form a field goal to the outsides of the chest.  Press weights up to meet above the chest than flip wrists so the insides of your wrists are facing each other.  Drop weights down to ears and slowly raise back up.  
5. Deadlift to a row- Keep db in front of shins slowly lower weights down towards ground as you are standing up perform a row when you are almost standing straight up.  Than raise all the way up to  a standing position.  
6. Walking lunge with a DB twist- Perform a lunge 90 degrees in the front & in the back.  Take the lunge to a walking lunge at the same time you lunge forwards twist your db over your bent leg.  Than walk other leg forwards & twist to the opposite direction.  
7. Reverse lunge with a shoulder press- Take a step backwards to perform a reverse lunge 90 degree leg bend.  While holding that 90 degrees press your DB overhead in a shoulder press and slowly lower back down.  Repeat on opposite leg.  (Perform 12 shoulder press, not lunges in this exercise) 
8. Hip Thrusts feet elevated- Place feet on a bench and put a weight on your hip bones.  Thrust hips up to sky than slowly lower back down.  Keep repeating that sequence working on using your glutes to lift & lower your body. 
9. Planks- Perform a plank on your forearms & knees raised or touching ground and hold squeezing glutes for 30 seconds. 
10. Side Plank- Perform 10 hip dips in the side plank.  Either on knees or toes. 
11. Lemon Squeezers- Lying on back squeeze upper & lower body together than release right before you touch the ground raise back up.  Keep repeating.