New Year's Reads

Do you read self-improvement books?  I have never been much of a reader, but this New Year, I plan to read a few self-improvement books.  I am going to start with PUSH by Chalene Johnson and Run Your Butt Off by the editors at Runner’s World Magazine.  I have never read a self-help book, so I really don’t know what to expect.  Here is a bit about the books I am going to read: 

Run Your Butt Off!: A Breakthrough Plan to Lose Weightand Start Running   When I first found this book, I thought—perfect, my two goals combined into one book—losing weight and becoming a better runner.  The books description on Amazon is:

 “Shed unwanted pounds and keep them off ONCE AND FOR ALL with Run Your Butt Off!, a back-to-basics, test panel–approved weight-loss plan and beginners’ running program that yields sustainable, healthy results. The Run Your Butt Off! program is founded on the simple concept that in order to lose weight, calories burned must exceed calories consumed. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no silver bullets can circumvent that reality. With this program, you’ll learn to burn fat from both sides of the weight-loss equation—the calories in and the calories out—at the same time. Run Your Butt Off! will make you fitter, stronger , and leaner.”  

Doesn't all this sound great!  My book review and results will surely come soon. 

PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, andthe Life You Deserve!   You all know of my love for Chalene Johnson.  I love her workout DVD’s (Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreme), her live workouts (Piyo, Turbo Kick and Hip Hop Hustle) her clothing line and now I get to check out her book.  She is my mentor.  Chalene has already helped me so much.  I have lost over 50 pounds doing her workouts and I can’t wait to see how her book helps me. I hope one day to become an instructor of her workouts.  The Amazon description of PUSH is:

 “Fitness superstar Chalene Johnson creates a revolutionary 30-day system that will allow readers to transform their bodies, their diets, and their lives!”  “Chalene gives readers the life-changing tools they need to change their habits with 30 days of practical steps that include pinpointing goals, reverse engineering a course of action to achieve them, and kicking the clutter—whether that means junk food, draining exercise regimens, or toxic relationships. In one month, readers will learn how to create layers of accountability so that success is their only option.’’ 

This book was released today and I should get it any day now from Amazon.  Getting this book has me so psyched about the New Year and the next year of my life!  Again, review to come.

Have read any of these books?  Do you read self-improvement books?  Which ones do you recommend?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Fitness Trends in 2012

I can across an article about what fitness trends will be hot in 2012.  Since I know all of us want to stay fit and get even more fit in 2012, I wanted to share it with you.  Some of the predictions were surprising, some were obvious to me and one I had never heard of. 

Have you heard of Barre?  I had not before I read this article.  It is a blend of Palates and Ballet intended to give you a killer, dancer like body.  I may have to give it a try. 

What I found surprising was the section the author calls “Unconventional Workouts”.  I got a chuckle out of imagining people hula hooping, pole dancing, roller skating, trampolining, and doing acrobatics.  But hey, if it gets them moving and helps them achieve fitness while having a little bit of fun, more power to the hula hoopers, pole dancer, roller skaters, trampoline jumpers, and acrobats. 

The obvious to me were running and home workouts…because these are the things I do every day and plan to continue doing in 2012.  With the success of Beach Body workouts suchas P90X, P90X2, Insanity, Turbo Fire and countless others, this trend it here to stay.  (If you want more info on any Beach Body workouts, contact me—I am a coach!)  The recent explosion of running for fitness is why we are all here.  While I will NEVER be a Tough Mudder, a Spartan or a Warrior Dasher, I respect those who take on the challenge.  Fire, mud, electrocution...wow!  With more and more people interested in our sport, it paves the way for companies and race directors to make more specialized products and races.  I love all the running gear that comes in pink now! With more buyers, fitness companies will devote more resources to newer and better products.  Race directors all over the country are developing all kinds of cool niche races, like the Dive Half Marathons, the Disney Princess Half Marathon (see the medal below!) and the Tinkerbell Half marathon that cater to women runners.  RAM racing has a “Hot Chocolate” running series where finishers go to a chocolate themed after party.  How fun!  With more people joining our sport, even more specialized products and races will for sure be on their way. 

Technology and our busy lives will continue to shape fitness in 2012.  Do you have a smart phone?  Thought so, most of us do.  There will be tons of new and updated apps for our smart phones to help us eat smarter and work out better.  No time to work out?  There are lots of shorter, 10 to 20 minute workouts to try.  Working out for a few minutes is better than not working out at all. I recommend 10 Minute Trainer! 

What do you think about these predictions?  Which is your favorite or least favorite?  Will you be part of any of these trends?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Cross Training

Since we only run three times a week in the Galloway plan, I have been doing some cross training.  From the research I have been doing, there is conflicting information about how helpful cross training is to a runner.  From everything I have read, it looks like cross training its self will not make you become a better runner, but it can help you to lose weight, become stronger and improve your cardiovascular health.  Sign me up!!!

For cross training, I have been taking a spin class twice a week.  In spin class, you ride a stationary bike.  The tension in the peddles can be adjusted from easy impossible.   The rider can peddle at different speeds.  The instructor tells the riders how fast to go and how much tension to us.  It can be a killer workout!

On days that I do not run or spin, I do a Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire video.  These are great dance/kickboxing workouts instructed by Chalene Johnson.  The best part of these workouts, they burn up to 800 calories per hour!

For strength training, I have been doing a workout video series called ChaLEAN Extreme.  The theory of the workout is that by lifting heavy weights with fewer reps, you build muscle faster.  The instructor, Chalene Johnson (love her!), always repeats the phrase “muscle burns fat.”  I am all for that.  The workouts are intense, but not to difficult.  I will do a full review when I get farther into the program.  For more information, on Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam or ChaLEAN Extreme message me. 

Some other cross trainings I am looking into is swimming and Zumba.  Zumba seems like a lot of fun and is a great calorie burn.  Swimming is also a lot of fun and burns a lot of calories, but it can also help to build muscle.  Do you do any cross training? What do you do for cross training?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

The winner of my Balancing Act Clothing giveaway is Jennifer Wood!!!  Email me with your mailing address and what shirt you want!  (amysmith7@comcast.net) 

Turbo Fire!

I just finished a sixteen week cycle of Turbo Fire. Turbo Fire is hard core and very challenging, but I have really enjoyed it. Chalene is very motivating. It seems like whenever we hit a partially challenging part, Chalene says something that picks me up and keeps me going till the end! I have been a fan of hers for many years now, since I tried my first Turbo Jam DVD.

Over the sixteen weeks, I have done all of the workouts several times. Included in the Turbo Fire system is 10 workouts. The “Fire” workouts are intense cardio classes, ranging from 30 minutes to 55 minutes. The DVD’s also include stretching, toning and sculpting. The genius of the Turbo Fire series is the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts. These HIIT workouts range from 15 to 25 minutes. Yes, they are short, but affective. Chalene promises that the HIIT sessions burn nine times more fat than a regular aerobic workout. I can believe it! The HIIT workouts are just that…high intensity! After a brief warm-up, the intensity builds quickly. The routine is one minute of high intensity, followed by a minute of low intensity cool down. They are hard work, but doable.

The program comes with an eating plan and a workout schedule. I have not been following the included eating plan, as it is to restrictive for me. I really like the workout schedule. It seems to alternate Fire classes with HIIT classes, with a little stretching and toning mixed in.

I am very happy with my Turbo Fire workouts. The foot work is fun, but not to challenging--even for someone as clumsy as me. It’s like going to a dance party every day in my living room. Chalene keeps it fun and she makes the time fly by. I am not sure if I am going to do another round of Turbo Fire next, or move on to ChaLEAN extreme.  The best thing about Turbo Fire—I have lost about 25 pounds since I started!  You can do it too!  Here is a link to find out more and to order Turbo Fire for yourself.

My Beach Body home page

A dream is a wish your heart makes......

--Amy

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