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Okay ladies! Here’s a really fun one to burn the fat and build the muscle. I call it “Pharaoh’s Revengeâ€! Campers LOVE to hate this one. I’m challenging you now.
There are 5 rounds of this workout. Do each exercise consecutively without rest until the end of the circuit. Rest 1 minute before starting the next round.
Round 1: 30 sec. each exercise
Round 2: 45 sec.
Round 3: 60 sec
Round 4: 45 sec
Round 5: 30 sec.
The Pyramid
Squat and Press
Rows
Swings
Push Ups (no knees allowed)
Alternating Reverse Lunges
High Pulls
Planks
Have fun!
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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We had a very unusual warm day last week. I wanted to take advantage of the chance to get the kids outside and moving.
Exercise for kids should not be like ours. They need to have fun, move and play. This is how physical education is done at the Ramos house.
Get outside and play with your kids. Create some awesome memories.
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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I am looking forward to attending this convention. I haven’t been to a convention in two years. Life has been pretty hectic with my husband’s travel schedule, my boot camps and tumbling competitions. This year put my foot down and demanded we go. Okay, so I whined a little, but we’re going!Â
There are going to be some wonderful workshops on college that my teenager wants to attend. I will officially have all my kids homeschooling next year. My 3 year old will be working with my 5 year old, although somewhat modified. I will have a middle schooler and my high schooler will be completing her last year of school. Wow! Time sure flies!
If any of you are attending the Indy convention, please let me know. I would love to meet you.
Hugs~~
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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I was asked to particpate as a guest blogger in my friend Marci Lall’s fat loss tips post. This is a great resource for any woman looking to lose body fat. Be sure and watch Marci’s very entertaining video.
Here’s the link to the post: http://www.marcilall.com/fitness/march-madness-47-fat-loss-tips-for-women#more-946
Hugs~~
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Marci Lall, of TheMaximumWeightLossReport.com, shares his 5 Tips for getting Tank Top Ready in this very entertaining video. Thanks Marci!!
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Ladies, ready for some more action? Here’s the new workout for the month:
Grab a timer and some dumbbells: You will perform each exercise back to back without any rest until your timer goes off. Rest 1 minute between each superset.
Superset A: Go for 5 minutes
DB Squats x 10
V-ups x 10
Rest 1 Minute
Superset B: Set timer for 5 minutes
DB Russian Deadlifts x 10
Military Presses x 10
Rest 1 Minute
Superset C: Set timer for 5 minutes
Push Ups x 10
DB Swings x 10
Enjoy! Post your progress on your personal pages. I love to hear how you’re doing.
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Most women believe that in order to lose weight the first thing they need to do is eat less and move more. In a way this is true, but there really is more science behind that. What typically happens is women eat maybe 1 or 2 meals a day, drastically reducing their caloric intake and then adding a walk in for exercise. They may see the scale move but what are they really losing? I bet you’ll be surprised. Read on…
Your body’s metabolism is the key to losing unwanted body fat. When working with women, I am not concerned about their weight as much as the level of body fat they are carrying around. A healthy bodyfat level to be at is between 19-25%. Most women who have dieted for years will find themselves at 30% or more. Those are dangerous levels that invite disease into their bodies. Although they may have lost 50 lbs. of body weight, they may still be at 30% body fat and at risk for heart disease, Type II diabetes and other ailments.
How can they be at risk when they wear a size 8 dress pant? Because they never lost bodyfat while dieting. They lost body water and precious lean muscle mass.
Lean muscle mass is the main manipulator of your metabolism. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you burn at rest. When your metabolism is humming along at a strong rate, it does not need to use bodyfat for energy. It’s alive and functioning at optimum levels. Fat that is stored on your body for energy is not needed and your body lets it go. You continue to build strong, lean muscles and your metabolism gets stronger and faster, you indeed get leaner, stronger, toned and full of energy. This is the picture of health and vitality.
Now take the woman who is dieting. She is eating 3 meals a day and not focused on the right type of exercises. She’ll go for a walk around the block. It works for about 1 month. She’s dropped 5 pounds. She’s excited!
Month 2 rolls around and the scale has stopped moving, she cuts her 3 meals into smaller portions and adds another block to her walk. The scale finally drops again. She’s excited!
Month 3 rolls around and the scale has not moved or has gone up. Yikes! She drops to 2 meals a day, adds another block to her walk and an exercise video.
Month 4 comes too quickly. She sees the scale move again so she cuts calories even more and increases her walk for a full 2 hours every day. She’s tired, frustrated and wondering why this is not working?
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. The only way for her to keep the scale moving is to continue to decrease calories and increase the amount of time spent on low, steady state exercise. Is she really losing fat? No, she is losing water and precious metabolic boosting muscle that is why she has to continue decreasing calories to see change. If she continues on this path, she will lower her metabolic rate to such a level that her body will go into panic mode and begin conserving every morsel of food that enters as bodyfat so it will have the energy just to function.
The result is a cranky, tired, moody, flabby, and frustrated woman. I know, I’ve been there.
Ladies, I want you to know the truth. The scale is not your friend. You have been lied to for years. There’s even a tv show dedicated to keeping these lies alive (Biggest Loser Challenge) where your worth is determined by a number on the scale! How have we as a society allowed this to happen? Satan has been at work!
God made you in His image. You are a beautiful, strong, and vibrant woman. Don’t allow Satan to get a foothold in your mind. Oh how I wish I could give you all hugs right now!
Here is the picture of a woman on the right path:
She determines why she wants to accomplish this goal of being healthy and full of energy.
She enlists the help of her husband and children.
She puts together a plan of action including how to deal with obstacles that will be thrown her way. Her plan does include strength and interval training as the core of the program.
She also determines her caloric intake and creates meal plans for the week.
She cleans out her cupboard of all manmade, adulterated foods and buys food in their original God created package.
She gets connected with other women who are doing the same steps (this site of course!) and stays accountable no matter what happens to try and bump her off course.
All her workouts are scheduled in for each week just like math and english class. She sticks to her workouts because she is full of determination.
Each week she discovers how much better she feels. Her clothes are getting loser, she is getting more flexible and full of energy. She finds herself hungry more often because her metabolism is on fire. She has more lean mass so she can eat more food, quite the opposite of the dieting woman. She does not suffer from mood swings, turbulent hormone levels or bloating due to eating whole foods.
Does she know how much she weighs? Does it really matter if she is feeling this strong and vibrant?
This is what I want for you. I will elaborate more on how to stop dieting for life in another post. This one ended up way longer than I intended.
Hugs~~
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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I have agreed to become a guinea pig in Jon Le Tocq’s newest 12 week fitness program. Jon is the founder of www.StormForceFitness.com. Although I cannot divulge the specifics of the program, I will be giving updates on my progress or pain, whichever is most appropriate for the day.
As part of a cardio test, today included a 5K which was absolutely awful for me. I am hardly an endurance athlete as most of my training has been sprinting over the last two years. I’m embarrased to say it took me 35:20 minutes to complete the endurance portion of the workout. Ugh!
I am looking forward to a program being already written for me, rather than writing one myself.
This is a perfect time to start a new 12 week program. Do you realize it’s only 12 weeks until the official revealing, Memorial Day? That is usually the first time the shorts and tank tops come out. Will you be ready?
My 12 week nutrition course started today and there are some women on board. They will learn so much during the next 12 weeks. They will never again fall victim to the commercial hype and weight loss scams. If you missed this session, don’t despair, I will host another one soon.
My husband has been gone for a week and we still have two more weeks remaining before he returns from his special training for work. It has been rough, but we are pretty busy everyday and it helps the time go quickly. I will be happy when he returns. The day he gets back, we are driving over to South Bend to attend a homeschool convention. This year we are attending two after not attending any for the past 2 years. I really need a pick me up.
I am fast approaching the last year of high school for my oldest and college is suddenly looming ahead. I don’t know where the time went, but it sure snuck up on me fast. Any tips and suggestions for preparing for that is appreciated. We are attending a seminar at one of the conventions that details getting a B.A. in less than two years for $5,000. I’m looking forward to that one!
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Guest Post By Liz Donnelly of www.FamilyFitnessGuru.com
1. Put on that fitness-minded personality
Wether you desire a flat belly or just the time to workout, you have to start it all with your attitude. If you are determined to improve your fitness “no matter what,†the you will most likely be successful. Usually this takes the manifestation of anger with your appearance or lack of energy or poor health. Once you’ve made up your mind to be fit, then it’s time to don that “fit-minded personality.â€
This is where you tell yourself multiple times daily that you have a tight mid-section, that you deserve a flat belly, if that’s your goal, for instance. Promise yourself that you’ll do something every day to work to that end. Your subconscious will listen to you. It doesn’t decipher between good and bad affirmations, it will simply apply what you always tell it. Are you saying or letting others say that you’re “fat†or “overweight†or “thick-waistedâ€? Time to change those words into “slender†or “sleek†or “tightâ€.
This is also part of changing yourself from the top down, so to speak. What you think about yourself has great impact on your esteem, performance and outcomes. For example, becoming more aware of your body will get you to focus on changes to make like sitting or standing tall to prevent your belly from popping outward. You can apply fixing yourself from the top down in all aspects of your life not just fitness. (For example, telling yourself to have patience will help you be more inclined to notice those times when you are losing your temper.)
The big lesson here, especially if you’re the kind of mom or dad who puts him or herself last on the priority list, is that you do need your self-improvement time and that you do need the increased energy, self confidence, strength, etc. to help you meet your many demands, especially keeping up with your kids, right?
So the next step is just as important:
2. Get educated on fitness
So many people lose their desire to workout and eat well because they either tune out the important messages that tell them why they must do so, or they possibly are not aware of the reasons. So the more you educate yourself on exercise and nutrition, the better off you’ll be to be inspired to keep yourself and your family health and active.
This website is a good place to start. In particular, you can get FREE downloadable booklets on exercises for children and for yourself by subscribing to FamilyFitnessGuru updates. Look at the upper right side of the page above the side margin.
There are also a host of books on the topic of fitness and articles in the paper on almost a daily level. Scour what you can and be informed. After all, you know yourself and your family best and you will remain motivated to stay fit the more you keep in touch with good information.
3. Now, it’s time to make time for fitness
Getting a better working body does take time. If your particularly out of shape, then you must realize that it probably took some time for you to degenerate to this level. Even if you relatively fit, you still need to build in time for your workouts. Talk it over with your spouse, partner or own brain (if you’re a single parent like me) and literally write down and schedule your workouts.
For me, I have to do some of my workouts during the week before I teach my 5:45 a.m. Fitcamp class. At other times, I have to schedule evenings after the kids go to bed. If you are with a partner, then you can alternate times to best suit your schedules, especially if the kids are awake and need supervision.
If you’re a single parent and you are the residential parent, meaning the kids are with you the majority of the time, then you will have to do a little creative planning and think outside the box as to how you’ll get child care and get the freedom to work out. Many gyms have daycare-style facilities at which you can leave your kids for the duration of your exercising. Of course, if you don’t belong to a gym, then your next course of action is enlisting babysitting help with neighbors, friends or relatives. The next step is to join a local civic group that has a lot of parents as members (like a Junior Women’s Club (for moms) or Early Childhood PTA or regular PTA (for moms and dads). Some times making inquiries within groups like these will give you leads of fellow parents who are in a babysitting network. There is typically no charge for something like this. Your only payment is being available to watch someone else’s kids.
There are options for just about any situation in terms of finding time (really its making the time) for your workouts. If you really want it, then you will make it work for you. (I hope you really want it!)
4. Do it!
Nike has it right, if they still use that old tagline, that is. You really just have to start exercising. Your body was made to move. So, if your parts seem the Tin Man’s after a rain storm, then it’s all the more reason to continue to do your workouts consistently and stay “oiled up.â€
“What’s ample?†you might ask. Building an hour and a half weekly is a good place for beginners (30 minutes 3x/week). From there, you can add an additional 30 minutes. Ideally, you want to put in 5-6 days of movement. And it doesn’t have to be in the form of a formal workout. Schlepping things around in the garden or shoveling snow are excellent ways (depending on how intense) to move and burn calories.
“What exercises do I do?†Well, start by signing up for FamilyFitnessGuru updates (look at the upper right area of the side margin) so you can download the “Top 5 Exercises for Moms & Dads.†You’ll get tons of details on how to perform those basic exercises to help you get on the road to fitness.
My hope is that you’ll be consistent with your plan and notice results to help you stay motivated. Good luck and keep forging ahead!
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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This morning I was sitting in front of my computer struggling to come up with a catchy title for this. I was thinking - yet again - about stressing the importance of breakfast to you.
So as I sat there trying to be clever I mumbled out loud, “Breakfast is boring.â€
And there you have it. That’s exactly how I came up with this title. But do NOT take this message lightly.
You see, I know you’re heard it a million times before. “You have to eat breakfast.†And I know it’s not a super sexy message. But do you have any idea how many people I meet as a fitness professional that DO NOT eat breakfast? A lot. And do you have any idea how many of those people that don’t eat breakfast are overweight? Pretty much all of them.
Look, I’m not crazy. I know you don’t have much time in the morning. And I know many of you just aren’t all that hungry right after you wake up.
So let’s look at this another way. You get up each morning and go to work every day because you want a roof over your head and food on the table, right? Day after day after day you go to work because you want the RESULT of that effort.
Well, IF you want to burn fat, feel better and have more energy you WILL eat breakfast every morning. Period. End of discussion.
Some things are boring. Some things just have to be done to get the result you want. For those of you that want to burn fat all day long, breakfast is just one of those things.
Prograde Lean http://inspirationfitness.getprograde.com/lean is a DELICIOUS chocolate meal replacement shake that I recommend to all my clients. It’s the perfect solution to breakfast.
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I’ll make this short and sweet.
Here are two Guilt Free Fat Fighters (and a BIG reminder) to enjoy tomorrow:
1) Celebration Sorbet
Put a scoop of raspberry (or whatever your favorite flavor is) sorbet in a martini glass and sprinkle with fresh berries. Drizzle with champagne or sparkling apple cider.
2) Strawberry Dippers
Dip whole strawberries in low-fat French vanilla, lemon chiffon or chocolate yogurt.
Easy, huh? Guilt free AND delicious!
My buddies at Prograde Nutrition are having a “Chocolate is for Lovers†sale for Valentine’s Day. Read below to find out how to save 14% on all purchases of their AMAZING organic dark chocolate Prograde Cravers.
Seriously, they are the BEST tasting healthy snack bar on the planet.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Â
PS - Here are all the details on Prograde Nutrition’s 14% off Prograde Cravers sale.
Organic Dark Chocolate Prograde Cravers have no preservatives, only 180 calories and they come in three delicious flavors: peanut butter, almond butter and spirulina.
The even better news is they are on sale all this week for Valentine’s Day.
Here’s everything you need to know:
- Again, because it’s Valentine’s Day, the sale is 14% off all purcahses of Prograde Cravers
- When you checkout you will enter this coupon code to save the 14%: Â Â vday0909
- Shipping will take 3-5 days, so while I HIGHLY recommend you jump all over this sale, don’t purchase these as a gift expecting them to be their for Valentine’s Day itself. Buy them as a healthy gift for yourself or others.
- Sorry, Prograde Cravers are not available overseas
- The offer cannot be combined with others from Prograde and it ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST.
- Prograde Cravers are NOT available in stores anywhere. You can only find them online here: Prograde Cravers (hyperlink to http://inspirationfitness.getprograde.com/cravers)
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Some of you have begun working out. Awesome job! Getting started is the hardest part. Once you get into a routine, it gets easier. I promise!
So, I wanted to help you get started right. Here is a workout that utilizes full body, multi-joint (compound) exercises and has your cardio all taken care of. No need to spend another 60 minutes of the treadmill with this one.
Set your timer for 20 minutes. Grab some dumbbells (10+ lbs.).
Do as many rounds of this as you can in 20 minutes. Members of FitHomeschoolMoms.ning.com can view videos of each exercise.
Burpees x 15
DB Push Press x 15
DB Alternating Rows x 15 ea side
Mountain Climbers x 15 ea side
Push Ups x 15
Only take a rest after the push ups and no more than 60 seconds before starting back at the top.
5 rounds is really awesome.
Hugs~~
Coach Angela
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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Salmonella poisoning is not a laughing matter. The salmonella bacteria attacks the stomach and intestines. In more serious cases, the bacteria may enter the lymph tracts, which carry water and protein to the blood, and the blood itself. The bacteria attack all age groups and both sexes. Children, the elderly and people who are already ill are much more likely to get a serious infection.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning are diarrhea, constipation, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea and vomitting, fever and blood in the feces. Some cases of salmonella need to be treated with antibiotics.Â
Recently, there has been a huge recall on products that contain peanuts. Thankfully, Prograde nutrition products are not on that list, but you might be surprised at what products are. I’ve included the link here to the FDA’s list of recalled products:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm
Keep you and your family safe.
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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So by now you’ve probably heard that Olympic champion Michael Phelps has gotten himself into a little bit of hot (bong) water. I felt I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by without sharing some lessons from his mishap.
First, we all have to remember that we’re role models. Somebody somewhere is looking up to us for guidance. It’s a shame Michael Phelps screwed up, but he did. What’s done is done. I know it reminded me that as a fitness pro, I MUST lead by example.
Second, again, he screwed up. He’s young and there will be many more mistakes and misjudgments in his future. And while I’m not one to give people a million chances, I do believe in second chances. And forgiveness. Which, when it comes to melting fat and getting fit, is VERY important.
I can tell you from experience working with hundreds of people with similar goals to yours, you WILL screw up somewhere along the way. The key to success is to forgive yourself and move forward. The people who truly fail are the ones that just give up the first time they make a mistake.
Third, this has nothing to do with what Michael Phelps has recently done, but it’s another great reminder. If you want a lean, hard body and 6 pack abs, or just to be fitter and healthier, you’re going to need to WORK. Regardless of his recent actions Michael Phelps is an Olympic Champ because he worked his rear end off. Don’t fool yourself into thinking achieving your fitness goals is going to be a piece of cake.
Fourth, much was made during the Olympics of Michael Phelps and the massive amounts of calories he was consuming. If YOU want to get into peak condition you need the proper nutrition. Period.
Look, if you’re not eating enough fruits and vegetables you need a Whole Foods based multi like Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com/vgf
If you aren’t optimizing your workouts by refueling with the correct blend of carbs to protein (based on the research) then you need to start using Prograde Workout  http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com/workout) like I do.
Anyway, when you see a news story like this one involving Michael Phelps, always remember to look for the positive lessons you can learn.
PS - If you’re serious about your training and want the best nutritional products, then use what I use - Prograde Nutrition http://InspirationFitness.getprograde.com)
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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So what’s the deal with high fructose corn syrup. It must be safe since the FDA has approved its use in so many of America’s processed food items. Just look at almost any food item found with a label and you will see high fructose corn syrup listed as one of the first 3 ingredients.Â
The corn industry has even tried to convince us that, in moderation, HFCS is perfectly fine. The fact that most American meals are composed of pre-packaged, processed foods, I doubt moderation is being practiced.Â
High Fructose Corn Syrup transforms you into an eating machine. Once consumed, it sets into motion a chemical cascade that begins with spiked insulin and ends with feel-good molecules known as “endorphinsâ€. This leaves you feeling intoxicated by artificial feel-good endorphins. Your brain is unable to sense overeating and demands more. All the excess calories are then stored as fat.  This has been a huge factor in the rise of obesity, Type II Diabetes and heart disease in our nation.
Now, after reading this article, I learned that in a recent study, mercury was found in high fructose corn syrup.Â
“Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply,†the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.
This is just one more reason we should avoid anything processed or manmade in our diets. By eating whole, unprocessed, organic foods, we are reducing the risk of disease and obesity in ourselves and our families.Â
Post from: Homeschool Fitness Coach
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