Fitness

Exercise Routines – Home Fitness Workouts to Get You in Shape

April 30, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

If you’re new to exercising, you may not know where to start or what fitness to do. You need to determine your fitness level and then choose an exercise program. There are many great fitness programs out there and here is a good comparison of the most popular fitness programs from Beachbody.

P90X with Tony Horton
Advanced total-body training program focused on abs, legs, chest, and arms. P90X includes 12 routines that keep introducing new moves and challenging your muscles to get you in amazing shape in just 90 days. (45 – 60 minute workouts)
Slim in 6 with Debbie Siebers
Full body slimming and toning focused on abs, thighs, buns, and hips. Slim in 6 combines cardio with light resistence moves to burn fat and reshape your body in 6 weeks. (25 – 50 minute workouts)
Turbo Jam with Chalene Johnson
Calorie burning and total-body sculpting focused on abs and thighs. Turbo Jam combines kickboxing and body sculpting to the hottest music to burn more calories than almost any other exercise. (20 – 45 minute workouts)
Insanity with Shaun T
Transform your body in 60 days with the most intense workout program every put on DVD. Insanity uses MAX Interval Training where you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercise with short periods of rest. (30 – 60 minute workouts)
Brazil Butt Lift with Leandro Carvalho
Reduce your hips, slim your thighs, and life your butt while you burn fat and metl away saddlebags. Brazil Butt Lift combines Brazilian dance, cardio, and Leandro’s signature sculpting moves with his proven Triangle Training method that works your butt from multiple angles. (30 – 50 minutes workouts)
10 Minute Training with Tony Horton
Full body workouts in only 10 minutes a day! A must have for the busy person. 10 Minute Trainer combines fat-burning cardio, total-body sculpting, and ab moves all at the same time for maximum efficiency. (10 minute workouts)
Hip Hop Abs with Shaun T
Calorie burning cardio and total-body sculpting focused on your abs and core. Hip Hop Abs fun hip hop dance moves are set to hot music to burn fat and sculpt lean sexy abs. (25 – 45 minute workouts)

For beginners, I highly recommend Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer. I started with it and lost 20 pounds! If you’re a little more fit, I recommend P90X. Finally, if you are already extremely fit, Insanity is the way to go.

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(includes free access to fitness tools and community support)

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: Motivation

Self Discipline and Motivation to Exercise

April 25, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Do you lack the self-discipline and motivation needed to keep up with a regular exercise program and healthy diet? You are not alone.

Motivation and discipline are the number 1 reason why people fail to complete a fitness program. Need some tips?

Work out at the same time daily. When you look at the clock and see your exercise time, you can choose to get up and do it, or sit and feel guilty as the time passes by.
Find a buddy! Working out with a friend will help keep you accountable!
Reward yourself. Have you stuck to your program for two weeks straight? Get the new pair of shoes you had your eye on! Or maybe a new movie or video game.
Compare the amount of FAT in junk foods to the amount of FAT in health food which you may not be so crazy about eating. Did you know you have to run the length of a football field to burn off one single M&M?
Think eating healthy is more expensive? Try thinking of it in years off your life. The cheap junk food takes years off while eating healthy can add years.
Talk to people! This one has worked wonders for me. If you just casually chat with co-workers and friends about your exercise routine, eventually they will occasionally ask how it’s going. How will you feel when you have to fess up that you haven’t been sticking with it.
You can join Team Beachbody for free and get access to online fitness tools and community support.

What are YOUR exercise motivators? Let us know!

Filed Under: Motivation

Pride in Exercising | It’s Not Just About How You Look

April 22, 2010 By Steve Leave a Comment

There are thousands of articles on the internet about the physical benefits of exercise, so I won’t attempt to add to those. This post is more about the pride which comes with sticking to and completing an exercise program.

I am currently working through P90X for the third time. I didn’t jump right in — I first conditioned my body gradually and got used to daily exercise using Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer, completing two rounds of TMT before moving on to P90X.

The first round was actually the easiest for me to stick with. I was extremely devoted and never missed a day, even when sick. The pride and psychological benefits that come with starting and finishing a program are just indescribable, especially an extreme fitness program like P90X or INSANITY.

This sense of pride is developed through the devotion required to finish a program and overcome the mental and physical challenges involved. It’s also a proven fact that exercise boosts self-esteem. The TV infomercials neglect to mention the psychological benefits and mental changes that occur as you work through a fitness program. To finish a program alone takes will power, devotion, and mental strength, which in turn builds a sense of pride, accomplishment and confidence that affects all aspects of your life.

Choose the fitness program that’s right for you and get started today!

Filed Under: Fitness, Insanity, Motivation, P90X, Ten Minute Trainer Tagged With: Fitness, Insanity, Motivation, P90X, Ten Minute Trainer

Exercising with Injuries

April 13, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

You’re well into your exercise program, exercising daily and eating a healthy diet. Then you get an injury.

What should you do?

Well, here’s what I did, which has worked extremely well in my particular situation.

I got a sprained ankle while running one evening. You see, because I completed a month’s worth of Insanity, I am able to run faster than ever before. How fast? Close to 15 miles per hour! And I can hold that pace for about a block!

As you may have guessed, running at that pace provides a great opportunity for one (or many) muscles to malfunction for just a short amount of time, which is precisely what happened. I was three weeks into my third round of P9oX. Not a very convenient time to get injured.

Here’s the steps I have followed:

Take a break until the injury is healed. You’ll have to miss workouts, which is difficult to deal with mentally when you are used to exercising regularly. If possible, you can do other workouts which don’t use the injured part of your body. In my case, I could have done some upper body exercising.
Once the injury is healed enough to where you don’t have pain just from your regular, everyday activity, stabilize the injured area. In my case, I have been wearing an Ace bandage around my ankle.
Modify, modify, modify. Modify the routine you do to minimize use of the injured area. You may need to do a different workout all together. In my case, with the sprained ankle, instead of doing Plyometrics which would have placed a large amount of strain on the ankle, I did Kenpo X.

When you follow these steps, you may be able to resume exercising before your injury is 100% healed. In my case, it has been a great way to get back into my routine without losing too much time. I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone, but if you’re hardcore and don’t like downtime, it just may work for you!

Don’t have a regular exercise program going?
TRY TONY HORTON’S 10 MINUTE TRAINER TODAY!
You’ll get results in just 10 minutes a day!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: Injuries

Exercise Motivation, Part Two

March 31, 2010 By Steve Leave a Comment

This is part two in a series of articles on exercise motivation. Part one is here.

Here are some thoughts and tips for dealing with those days (or weeks) when you either don’t feel like exercising or have too much going on to get in a regular workout. This assumes you’re doing a comprehensive, structured program, such as P90X, INSANITY, or Turbo Fire.

First things first: Don’t get down about it! Everyone has these days, weeks, and even months or years. Just accept it and move on. The most important factor is that you do exercise the majority of days out of the week/weeks out of the month.

Here are some tips for dealing with lack of motivation:

Go for a walk on your lunch break or after dinner.
Try working out at a different time of day. It’s common to become bored with a routine schedule. Maybe you’ll feel more motivated early in the morning or as the day draws to a close.
Find a friend to walk or workout with; help each other stay motivated.
Mix up your workouts. Try Ten Minute Trainer one day– It’s only 10 minutes!
Let yourself have a “cheat meal” IF you’ve done your regular workout. Sometimes a little reward can keep you on track…just don’t do this one on a daily basis.

Filed Under: Motivation Tagged With: Motivation

YOU Can Look GREAT!

March 7, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Have you ever watched the infomercials on TV and wondered if the results were true?

Have you ever wondered if the people were lying? If they were being paid to say the things they did?

Chances are that yes, they were reimbursed in some manner for their time.

However – I’m here to tell you, the results are REAL, and so are the people’s transformation stories.

As an Independent Beachbody Coach, I receive a lot of feedback about fitness programs. Primarily, this feedback comes from the people I coach who have committed to an exercise program such as P90X or Insanity. What is the majority of it like? Usually it’s in the form of “It really does work!”, or “I’ve lost XX pounds in XX days.”

Yes, this stuff is true, and the results are real.

Think you’re too out of shape or too overweight to commit to a program? Think again! Just watch this video and you’ll see that YOU can lose weight and get in great shape! YOU can have the body you’ve always dreamed of!

Join Team Beachbody for FREE – get access to online fitness tools to help you reach your goals

Filed Under: Fitness

P90X with Tony Horton Video Preview | 90 Day DVD Workout Program

February 10, 2010 By Steve Leave a Comment

Today we’ll take a look inside P90X. Have you been wondering exactly what the workouts are like? Take a look at this informative video with user testimonials and details from Tony Horton.

Get P90X with Tony Horton
(Includes free access to online workout tools and community support)

Filed Under: Fitness, P90X Tagged With: Fitness, P90X, tony horton

Hate Exercise? Learn How to Find Exercise Motivation

January 30, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Not everyone feels like working out all the time. If you are not one of those people who are blessed with self-motivation to exercise, then read on! You know you need to exercise , but you just don’t have the energy or maybe just lack the desire to workout.

Here are a few tips to get you through those days when exercising is just not happening. Maybe you need some new ideas or something to shake up your workout!

Music: Make a playlist full of your favorite music. This can often help get you feeling more motivated, energetic, or help increase your workout intensity.
Change your workout: For instance, if you have a favorite routine, do that one instead and do the one you’re skipping in place of the favorite on the day it comes up.
Do a less intense workout: If you’re a P90X graduate, or have completed Insanity – heck, even if you’re still working on either of those, take a small break! For example, get moving with Ten Minute Trainer instead! It’s better than nothing!
Workout with a friend: Get a friend to be active with you. Even if they can’t match your intensity level, just them being there and going through the motions will at times do wonders for your motivation.
Reward yourself: Plan a small reward for yourself if you do your workout. Maybe a SMALL J cup of ice cream later that evening. Or maybe go buy that book you’ve been wanting.
Join Team Beachbody FREE and workout using WOWY, the online super gym!
Just do it: Just make yourself. Yes, this is the hardest option of all, but usually even when I’m not feeling like working out, I’m loving it once again about 10-15 minutes into it.

Well, that’s all for this post. I hope these tips can help you stay motivated at those times when you really need it as much as they have helped me.

Remember: Keep pushing play!

Filed Under: Motivation Tagged With: Insanity, P90X, Ten Minute Trainer

Your Exercise Environment

January 24, 2010 By Steve Leave a Comment

P90X The importance of the environment in which you exercise can often be overlooked, especially if you workout at home and have a regular routine established.

This topic occurred to me about two weeks ago while doing my P90X Plyometrics workout. That day I chose to workout in the bedroom, which is much smaller than my regular workout spot in the living room.

I quickly realized that exercising in a smaller space was forcing me to maintain better form during each exercise. There wasn’t as much room for mistakes and my form was tighter and I was making each movement as efficiently as possible.

Another benefit was being able to watch my movements in the mirror. This helped me not only maintain proper form, but also to keep my intensity level consistent.

Having more objects available to focus on during certain exercises was also helpful. For example, during the “hot foot” exercise that involves jumping in the shape of a cross, I was able to make sure my cross lined up with the gaps in the tile on the floor.

Always consider the environment you exercise in…and mix it up. It really can make a big difference in motivation, focus and results.

Ready to lose some weight and get in the best shape of your life? Learn more about our top workout program recommendations:

Filed Under: Fitness, Insanity, Motivation, P90X, TurboFire Tagged With: Fitness, P90X

Resistance Bands vs. Dumbbells

January 18, 2010 By Paul Leave a Comment

Resistance bands are showing up more and more now in the fitness world, in gyms, and workout routines like P90X . Workout resistance bands have been around for almost a century. These workout bands were originally used as a fitness technique, and then progressed to be used as a rehabilitation device. Now, resistance bands are widely used for fitness and rehabilitation.

Dumbbells are excellent for resistance training, but dumbbells are only one dimensional, offering resistance against gravity. P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands do not rely on gravity to provide resistance; this makes the P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands’ movement more functional in simulating everyday activities and sport specific activities, opening up unlimited potential for use.

Because free weights rely on gravity for resistance, they only provide resistance in a vertical plane; this means if you use free weights in a horizontal plane, such as side twists, there is no resistance. With P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands , if you were to anchor down one side and perform exercises such as side twists, sidekicks, punches, or even sport movements such a baseball swing, or a basketball pass, they provide resistance.

Both traditional dumbbells and resistance bands provide similar capabilities of resistance, and range of motion, which are critical for muscle strength and fat loss. P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands are an excellent alternative to the traditional dumbbells, as resistance bands offers many advantages.

Benefits of P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands:

Portability – lightweight and easily stored and transported. Use it anywhere, indoors, outdoors, in a hotel, anywhere.

Compact – P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands are as portable as they come, and you don’t need to take the whole set with you. They easily fit in a pocket of a suitcase, or a corner of your backpack or overnight pack.

Function – P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands offers more functional strength, better injury prevention, greater ability to change muscle emphasis during exercises, and easier use.

Affordable – at $40 for the set, it is less than a month’s of membership at a gym!

Best of all, you can work out at your convenience, in the privacy of your home or take them along for travel.

P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands are a great piece of equipment that rivals the most expensive home gyms and health clubs yet fit in your workout bag!

I currently use the Super kit, our most popular kit, which comes with range of 15-30lbs. It is more than enough of me when I do the P90X Shoulders & Arms workout. An excellent way to keep your self motivated it to get the next set up, which is what I have done. I’m struggling with last few reps right now, but I have already gotten the Extreme Kit (20-40lbs) because of the progress I’m making. For women, I’d recommend starting with the Standard Set (15-30lbs), then progress to the Super Kit.

Try P90X B-LINES® Resistance Bands

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Filed Under: Accessories, Fitness Tagged With: Accessories, Fitness