This post is my twitter daily tips / topic of the day. Follow me on Twitter @ezhomefitness
My #questionoftheday is what do you do to relieve stress? I'll retweet the best answers!
Stress can wreak havoc on your body - not only mentally but physically as well. Stress can undo your diet too! Stress taxes the body's recuperation ability, as well as other internal issues such as high blood pressure, upset stomach, fatigue, etc. Exercise helps relieve stress physically and mentally it helps too as exercise releases feel-good endorphins. Feel stressed, exercise! Stress wreaks havoc on your sleep patterns and how deep you sleep. You can get a full night's sleep and still wake up feeling fatigued. Stress also wreaks havoc on your diet as you turn to comfort foods to help you through the stressful time. Worse yet, smokers begin smoking more when stressed and that's a huge double whammy to the body's recuperation system. Same for alcohol. Another thing about stress is that it wears you down mentally and makes you even less motivated to diet & exercise (which would help!) Unfortunately, I know about stress & its effects all too well as I went through a very rough time with my mother's year-long health battle. She battled for a year with various physical problems & sadly lost the battle. I was there for the family & it all took its toll on me after. My fatigue was coupled with anxiety (which I never had) & it really took me out of my game for a long time so I am speaking from experience. I began my road back by eating better & then getting back to exercise. I knew exercise was the key. Doing weights was too much for my system at that point so I looked to my martial arts background & began doing Qi-gong which is like Tai Chi. Within a week, I began feeling the stress cloud on my body lift and that gave me new energy to do more. I exercised my way out of it. You can too! Find what works for u & will de-stress u- take time for yourself, LAUGH, eliminate stressful things, stay away from negativity. Above all exercise! Exercise is the key to beating stress. Yoga, dance, martial arts, cardio, weights, etc. Do what makes u feel better. Don't let stress beat you and don't let the stress also become a stressor upon you. Take control as soon as you can & get yourself back!
#Quote of the day: The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. - Ivy Baker Priest
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Hi, my name is Mario! I'm a certified personal trainer & lifestyle coach who trains people in their homes and also through an innovative online training system. I train all ages. I am doing this blog as a way to reach more people that I can help to reach their goals. My blog will be full of motivational entries and I hope to inspire you to set and reach your fitness goals. For more about me visit http://www.ezhomefitness.com
Showing posts with label personal thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal thoughts. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Month 1 of P90X almost done!
I've survived the 1st month of the vaunted P90X training program! Survived is the right word. Lol. The first week was tough with longer workouts than I was used to and different exercises than I was used to. Week 2 was easier as I knew what to expect and I even upped the intensity quite a bit. Week 3 saw me dragging myself some days with my energy and recuperation levels on low but I paced myself throughout the day and was able to up the intensity still in week 3. I'm now in week 4 which is a Recovery phase week. Lots of stretching and Yoga X with some Kenpo X and intense core synergistics thrown in there on 3 of the days to keep the muscles working.
With my recovery phase almost done, I move back to the Adaptive and Mastery phase on Thursday! Back to the intensity! As per the muscle confusion aspect that is at the core of the P90X foundation, this time there will be new exercises to help me bring it! I'll also be back to the Plyo and continue with the Kenpo X and Yoga X days.
I did not tighten up my diet so I could see what my energy needs for the workouts would be so I did not see great changes on the scale BUT I never go by the scale anyway. As I always preach, the scale only tells a small part of the story when it comes to working out. As you build muscle and lose fat, the scale will not tend to move much but you will see changes with your body. With that said, I have definitely seen my clothes getting looser, my bodyfat percentage go down and my muscles getting bigger and tighter. My cardio and muscle endurance has improved dramatically and that in itself is a great reward from the P90X program.
All in all, I highly recommend P90X for all the reasons I just mentioned above. I'm not only a trainee, I'm also a Team Beachbody Coach and can help guide you to the right home training program, for you and your needs like P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Brazilian Butt Lift and many more - all programs designed to help get you in the best shape of your life! Ask me about it and ask me how to get a 25% discount on it!
For more info, go check out my Team Beachbody site at http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/MarioM320 or you can check out my online Beachbody store on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/EZHomeFitness/122379617832402
With my recovery phase almost done, I move back to the Adaptive and Mastery phase on Thursday! Back to the intensity! As per the muscle confusion aspect that is at the core of the P90X foundation, this time there will be new exercises to help me bring it! I'll also be back to the Plyo and continue with the Kenpo X and Yoga X days.
I did not tighten up my diet so I could see what my energy needs for the workouts would be so I did not see great changes on the scale BUT I never go by the scale anyway. As I always preach, the scale only tells a small part of the story when it comes to working out. As you build muscle and lose fat, the scale will not tend to move much but you will see changes with your body. With that said, I have definitely seen my clothes getting looser, my bodyfat percentage go down and my muscles getting bigger and tighter. My cardio and muscle endurance has improved dramatically and that in itself is a great reward from the P90X program.
All in all, I highly recommend P90X for all the reasons I just mentioned above. I'm not only a trainee, I'm also a Team Beachbody Coach and can help guide you to the right home training program, for you and your needs like P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Brazilian Butt Lift and many more - all programs designed to help get you in the best shape of your life! Ask me about it and ask me how to get a 25% discount on it!
For more info, go check out my Team Beachbody site at http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/MarioM320 or you can check out my online Beachbody store on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/EZHomeFitness/122379617832402
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Week 1 of P90X down! 83 days to go!
So, my first week of P90X is done! Whew!! As I mentioned in my last blog post, I workout all the time with weights and cardio and I was doing P90X to challenge myself. Challenge myself I did! It was a week of some new things, some not so new and lots of soreness! It was and is a good soreness (as opposed to pain that isn't a good sign to have from a workout)! I love feeling sore from a workout, it tells me I pushed my body. I know that the result of the soreness will be a stronger body the next time I workout.
So day 1 was back & chest which I love to train. This workout consists mostly of pushups and chinups of all kinds. It's tough and tiring but fun. There are P90X workout sheets to keep track of your reps in each exercise so that gives you a good visual to try to beat each time you do the workout. I've always used a workout journal to keep track of my workouts and I highly suggest you do the same with your workouts. While a lot of you may say, pushups and chinups... Oh My! There are ways to do the exercises to make them a bit easier to do until your body gets stronger though. It's all about pushing yourself and bringing it. There's no getting around it, your body will get stronger but you will have to push it. After the workout I did the P90X version of Ab work called Ab Ripper X and whooboy, that title is accurate! 16 minutes of non-stop ab and core work! Mind you, I have strong abs but that was hard! Honestly, I was not able to do all the exercises all the way through but that's ok. I know I will get stronger and better with it in time and that's how you should approach any exercise. Give it your all and do what you can. As you stick to it, you will get better and stronger with it. Same goes for the pushups and chinups. As they say in P90X, do your best and forget the rest.
Day 2 was Plyometrics and they call this workout THE BEAST for a reason. Athletes utilize Plyo a lot to prepare for their sports. It consists of a lot of leg work and jumping exercises. Your legs and feet will take a beating and your heartrate will soar with this workout but its a great cardio workout and you'll find yourself feeling very accomplished when its done! It has a lot of variety with the exercises so you won't get bored with it. In fact I don't think you'll be bored with any the days since they are all very varied and you're too busy getting through the exercises to be bored! Lol. You have to keep track of your heart rate in this workout to make sure you stay in the zone but it will no doubt improve your cardio capacity fast.
Day 3 was Shoulder and Arms which I also love to train. I don't really have a bodypart I don't like to train though. There is more use of the resistance bands & weights in this workout and if you use a heavy enough weight, you'll definitely feel it the next day. To get the most of any exercise, you should always use enough weight to make it hard by the last 3 reps of the exercise.
Day 4 was Yoga X. This is a long 90 minute workout but once you are done you feel great! Most of the other workouts average about 55 minutes long, including warmups and cool downs. The Yoga workout is broken into 3 parts consisting of overall body exercises while your body is fresh and strong, then balance exercises and then core exercises. I like the way its setup and the whole flow of the exercises. Its definitely challenging but you will feel the difference in flexibility by the end.
Day 5 was legs & back. Lots of leg work with back exercises (mainly chinups, yes more chinups!) as breathers. A really good workout! I loved it and my legs definitely felt it the next day. They were already sore from the plyo on day 2 and this workout actually helped lessen the soreness and speed up the healing as the exercises forced blood into the muscles. That's the way to do it. If you just have normal post-workout soreness, the best way to get rid of it is to get the blood flowing in your body through more exercise. The blood helps to flush the toxins and soreness out. It helps with the recuperation process.
Day 6 was Kenpo X. As a lifelong martial artist, this was a workout I was looking forward to. I also found this workout the easiest to do but then again its something I'm used to doing (punches and kicks). This workout works out everything so its a good overall workout and great way to end the week with this last workout! Martial Arts are a great way to work out - the punches work the upper body, kicks work out the lower body and the pace of the workout works your cardio. This workout helps bring all the P90X workout days together. I had a blast!
Day 7 is either a rest day or a day to stretch. The P90X system comes with a stretching DVD and that's what I chose to do after a hard first week of working out. In fact, I plan to do the stretching instead of resting for the entire 90 day duration. Stretching helps not with your flexibilty but helps flush out some of the toxins and post-workout soreness that you may feel. Although stretching should be part of your warmups and cool downs, taking your rest day to stretch is a really good idea. As with all things P90X, the stretching program incorporates various types of stretching (ballistic, static and yoga) and spans about 55 minutes. After a hard week of working out though, its a most welcome and glorious 55 minutes of stretching! :)
I can't wait for week 2!
So day 1 was back & chest which I love to train. This workout consists mostly of pushups and chinups of all kinds. It's tough and tiring but fun. There are P90X workout sheets to keep track of your reps in each exercise so that gives you a good visual to try to beat each time you do the workout. I've always used a workout journal to keep track of my workouts and I highly suggest you do the same with your workouts. While a lot of you may say, pushups and chinups... Oh My! There are ways to do the exercises to make them a bit easier to do until your body gets stronger though. It's all about pushing yourself and bringing it. There's no getting around it, your body will get stronger but you will have to push it. After the workout I did the P90X version of Ab work called Ab Ripper X and whooboy, that title is accurate! 16 minutes of non-stop ab and core work! Mind you, I have strong abs but that was hard! Honestly, I was not able to do all the exercises all the way through but that's ok. I know I will get stronger and better with it in time and that's how you should approach any exercise. Give it your all and do what you can. As you stick to it, you will get better and stronger with it. Same goes for the pushups and chinups. As they say in P90X, do your best and forget the rest.
Day 2 was Plyometrics and they call this workout THE BEAST for a reason. Athletes utilize Plyo a lot to prepare for their sports. It consists of a lot of leg work and jumping exercises. Your legs and feet will take a beating and your heartrate will soar with this workout but its a great cardio workout and you'll find yourself feeling very accomplished when its done! It has a lot of variety with the exercises so you won't get bored with it. In fact I don't think you'll be bored with any the days since they are all very varied and you're too busy getting through the exercises to be bored! Lol. You have to keep track of your heart rate in this workout to make sure you stay in the zone but it will no doubt improve your cardio capacity fast.
Day 3 was Shoulder and Arms which I also love to train. I don't really have a bodypart I don't like to train though. There is more use of the resistance bands & weights in this workout and if you use a heavy enough weight, you'll definitely feel it the next day. To get the most of any exercise, you should always use enough weight to make it hard by the last 3 reps of the exercise.
Day 4 was Yoga X. This is a long 90 minute workout but once you are done you feel great! Most of the other workouts average about 55 minutes long, including warmups and cool downs. The Yoga workout is broken into 3 parts consisting of overall body exercises while your body is fresh and strong, then balance exercises and then core exercises. I like the way its setup and the whole flow of the exercises. Its definitely challenging but you will feel the difference in flexibility by the end.
Day 5 was legs & back. Lots of leg work with back exercises (mainly chinups, yes more chinups!) as breathers. A really good workout! I loved it and my legs definitely felt it the next day. They were already sore from the plyo on day 2 and this workout actually helped lessen the soreness and speed up the healing as the exercises forced blood into the muscles. That's the way to do it. If you just have normal post-workout soreness, the best way to get rid of it is to get the blood flowing in your body through more exercise. The blood helps to flush the toxins and soreness out. It helps with the recuperation process.
Day 6 was Kenpo X. As a lifelong martial artist, this was a workout I was looking forward to. I also found this workout the easiest to do but then again its something I'm used to doing (punches and kicks). This workout works out everything so its a good overall workout and great way to end the week with this last workout! Martial Arts are a great way to work out - the punches work the upper body, kicks work out the lower body and the pace of the workout works your cardio. This workout helps bring all the P90X workout days together. I had a blast!
Day 7 is either a rest day or a day to stretch. The P90X system comes with a stretching DVD and that's what I chose to do after a hard first week of working out. In fact, I plan to do the stretching instead of resting for the entire 90 day duration. Stretching helps not with your flexibilty but helps flush out some of the toxins and post-workout soreness that you may feel. Although stretching should be part of your warmups and cool downs, taking your rest day to stretch is a really good idea. As with all things P90X, the stretching program incorporates various types of stretching (ballistic, static and yoga) and spans about 55 minutes. After a hard week of working out though, its a most welcome and glorious 55 minutes of stretching! :)
I can't wait for week 2!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Time to step it up with some P90X!
New year, new you is one of the mottos I tell my clients but this time I am taking a bit of my own advice. Don't get me wrong, I workout all year round but this time I want to try something different from my weightlifting and cardio regimen so I've decided to do P90X! What is P90X? It's an extreme hybrid of workouts based on muscle confusion designed to get you ripped and in the shape of your life in 90 days. Sounds fun! I know I'm a bit crazy when it comes to workouts so I'm up for the challenge. The workouts consist of different days of many different types of exercises to work out all your major bodyparts and also days of Plyometrics, Yoga and Kenpo (kickboxing). All the workouts are at a fast pace designed to tax you and push you while getting you and your cardio into their best shape ever. It's an intense workout system but the results speak for themselves as its one of the hottest and most effective exercise systems out there. Many celebrities use it to get themselves in quick shape for movies, tours, etc.
As a trainer and now a trainee of the P90X system, I even took the time to become an Independent Team Beachbody Coach because I believe in the effectiveness of the Beachbody home programs so much. They have great programs to workout and get in shape from home (many of which you may have seen in TV commercials) such as P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Brazilian Butt Lift and many more. They even have a Shakeology program that lets you get nutritious shakes conveniently sent right to your home to help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol and more. It's all really cool and I felt it was the right fit for me as a Trainer. Not only will it bring my own fitness level to new highs but it will also allow me to make this available to my clients as well.
Today will be my first P90X workout and I will keep you all updated on my P90X journey throughout the next 90 days in this blog. I hope you keep coming back to check on my progress. ;)
If any of you are interested in any of the BeachBody programs such as Brazilian Butt Lift, Hip Hop Abs, P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire and more then please feel free to ask me. As a coach, I'd be more than happy to be your coach and help you figure out which program would be best for you and your needs and also to answer any questions you may have. Ask me how you can save 25% on any program! I can even help you become a Coach yourself and help you inspire others.
As a trainer and now a trainee of the P90X system, I even took the time to become an Independent Team Beachbody Coach because I believe in the effectiveness of the Beachbody home programs so much. They have great programs to workout and get in shape from home (many of which you may have seen in TV commercials) such as P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Brazilian Butt Lift and many more. They even have a Shakeology program that lets you get nutritious shakes conveniently sent right to your home to help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol and more. It's all really cool and I felt it was the right fit for me as a Trainer. Not only will it bring my own fitness level to new highs but it will also allow me to make this available to my clients as well.
Today will be my first P90X workout and I will keep you all updated on my P90X journey throughout the next 90 days in this blog. I hope you keep coming back to check on my progress. ;)
If any of you are interested in any of the BeachBody programs such as Brazilian Butt Lift, Hip Hop Abs, P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire and more then please feel free to ask me. As a coach, I'd be more than happy to be your coach and help you figure out which program would be best for you and your needs and also to answer any questions you may have. Ask me how you can save 25% on any program! I can even help you become a Coach yourself and help you inspire others.
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