Pesky Plateaus

So, despite your best efforts to diet, train, and supplement correctly you have finally hit the bane of every fitness minded person, the dreaded plateau (cue dramatic music). But never fear, just as plateaus have plagued millions before, those same millions have overcome this obstacle. And lucky for you all those years and people have turned up plenty of tips for you to high step this hurdle.

The most important tip I can give is to keep the right mindset through this; your most powerful weapon in fitness, believe it or not, is your mind. Staying positive in your attitude will work wonders for you in not only fitness but also in life. Now that you’ve steadied your mind and focused on staying positive you can now actively work towards breaking your plateau.

Many experts all say the same, REST!! Literally, rest, rest, rest. Make sure you're getting the maximum amount of possible to let your body recover from training. It is recommended that you get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night as the most important phases of muscle recovery happen when you sleep. Basically, your brain releases Human Growth Hormone at regular hours while you sleep, typically every 2 hours during sleep which is critical for muscle development.

Another recommended step you can take, and one that I can personally attest to, is to switch up your workouts. Ever notice how sore you were after you start a new workout, or even after you first started working out? It's called muscle confusion and it works by, well, confusing your muscles and forcing them to adapt. Not only will this help your muscles adapt and grow, but it will also keep your workout routines seem less routine and make things interesting. You may soon find yourself sore in places you never knew existed.


Now given this knowledge you can excel in your fitness life. We are humans, we adapt, we overcome, and most importantly we grow. Don’t let plateaus tell you any differently.

I like to ride my BICYCLE!!!!

Hey there followers! Again I am here to present to you another healthy alternative to hitting the gym. This alternative is one that is near and dear to my heart. I personally love riding my bike. Solo or with friends, it doesn't matter.

My favorite ride is down the Santa Ana river bed all the way to the beach. This is obviously a wonderful alternative to hitting the gym but it is a time consuming work out. I usually like to make it an all day event. From my house in The City of Orange the beach is about 15 miles down the river bed. The way to the beach is against the wind so it is best to begin the journey before 9:00a.m. Anytime after 9 and the wind picks up really strong and makes the ride really tiring and difficult. I like to leave my house at 7:30 a.m. The ride takes about 2 hours. It is beautiful the whole way. There is all kind of wildlife to look at. The running water of the river is peaceful and relaxing. When I finally make it to the beach I like to have lunch and chill out by the water for a while before heading back home. The ride home is literally a breeze (the wind is on your back pushing you home). It is a faster ride. This workout will make you really sore especially on your butt! I recommend working up to the ride by riding a few miles at a time a few times a week for at least 2 weeks or even 3. I also enjoy riding my bike around town to get dinner with friends. It makes going to dinner more of an adventure instead of just getting in the car and driving to wherever you want to go.

For more information on the Santa Ana River Trail click here: http://santaanarivertrail.org/home.html

Riding bikes is so fun. I would pick it instead of going to the gym any day. So if your getting burnt out on your routine, give biking a try. You will not be sorry.

Tone It Up, for the Ladies

Tone It Up is a company founded by the fitness team of Karena and Katrina. The Tone It Up girls bring fitness and dieting tips to females to help them achieve their goals. They have built their brand around social media using outlets such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Videos displayed on their YouTube channel bring exercises, diet tips, and other fitness information. One such video that I have included discusses how to cleanse our body of a bad food choices. Their Twitter and Facebook pages help to provide answers to questions their followers may have or just to keep their community updated. I first heard about them on another YouTuber's page as they mentioned how they were adhering to this 7 Day Slim Down Diet which is a byproduct of the fitness duo. The diet helps women lose weigh in as low as 7 days and has been proven to give results. Their website goes through all the details on how to purchase the diet plan that fit your lifestyle; whether you want the original plan, vegetarian, want to go gluten free, vegetarian gluten free, or pescatarian. Many testimonials liter YouTube on how women everywhere are achieving the results that they want with the help of the Tone It Up team. On their way to become the new "It" girls many company's have given their help to promote what these girls stand for such as Women's Health Magazine, InStyle, Vogue, Oakley, and Target among others. So if you are a girl looking to get fit or just looking to learn more about living the healthy lifestyle you should check out any of the links I have included.

Supplements, do a Body Good

So you're eating right, working out regularly, and staying on top of everything, but you want to take that next step to get to the next level of fitness. Supplements can help you achieve this new found desire, but which ones do you need? Which ones are safe? and Where do you go to get them?

Supplements, like anything else, can be bought in a store, or even online; however, this can be a very overwhelming process. With the magnitude of products available, it's up to you to figure out which ones will be best for you. Doing your homework and research on products is the single most important thing you can do. Nutrition stores such as Nutrition Zone, GNC, or Vitamin Shoppe can be great research tools as well, but take the information they give you with a grain of salt because at the end of the day, they are trying to make a buck. You have to filter through all the information available and figure out what you need, and if it's safe to put into your body. Online reviews of products are a strong tool for figuring out what you need, and there are many forums in which you can find product reviews. Finding out what you want and need is the priority and finding the products that can help you reach that will make the entire process better and faster. Outside of the flashy labels, price points, serving size, and potency; you want to make sure the supplements you choose does your body good, rather than harm. So make sure you know what you put into your body, because the last thing you want is to regress with your fitness.

What Motivates You?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and let’s not forget the dreaded finals week. With all the studying and festivities sometimes it’s hard to remember to hit the gym let alone exercise and eat healthy altogether.  Do we wait till it’s all over with and then decide to get back into the game? Well what keeps someone from not including that Christmas is right around the corner as well? Motivation, it’s what drives us to do what we desire all the while dealing with the unsavory process of reaching that goal. This leads me to ask what motivates you. Some people just have the will of a lion and can enter a state of Zen as they follow their lifestyle plan to a tee. Others it may take an entire support group but do not fret nowadays there is many options to help. Recently I began using Fleetly, a service that turns exercising into a social experience.  “Our goal is to make fitness more fun by making it social and friendly-competitive,” reads the website which also totes an iPhone app to bring the social fitness on the go. Another more exclusive option is using Fitocracy, a service which follows the same premise as Fleetly but focuses more on turning it into a role-playing game. Fitocracy is the game you play to improve your fitness. With the myriad of options available to get us started in our weight loss endeavors there is no excuse for just sitting around contemplating on when you should start studying, fill the void with fitness.

Another Healthy Alternative!!

That's right people, it's time for me to introduce to you another healthy alternative to hitting the gym day in and day out. Kudos to those people more disciplined than myself who can set up a gym regimen and actually stick with it. But like I said, that is just not my style.

I have always wanted to learn proper swimming techniques and this semester I am taking a beginning swim class that has taught me 3 different swim styles. In the class we have learned freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Freestyle is my favorite and that is the style I am going to discuss today. Let me begin by saying that not everyone has access to a pool on a daily basis. I am fortunate enough to have daily pool access and I encourage anyone who does have access to a pool to take advantage of utilizing the pool as a way to get some daily exercise. Freestyle is basically done by kicking your legs in a fluttering motion, rotating the midsection of your body from side to side, and stroking your arms one at a time through the water. Breathing is done by tilting your head to the side instead of actually lifting it out of the water. The best way to breath is bilaterally(from both sides of your face) because it helps your body stay balanced in the water with an even rotation of your torso. To view a detailed explanation of freestyle technique, go here:http://swimsmooth.com/beginnertips.php

When I incorporate swimming, running, and hiking into my workout routine, I find myself really only needing to go to the gym once or twice a week. I feel great and stress free. No guilt for skipping the gym because I know that my fitness needs are still being fulfilled.

Party Hopping and Body Rocking: The College Workout

The college years are said to be the best years of one’s life, but it can take a serious toll on one’s body. The college lifestyle typically consists of late nights, parties, and many empty Top Raman Noodle cups making a recipe for disaster to a growing body. Fear not, though, for there is a way to balance making college memories and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

For instance, regularly going to the gym may be difficult at first as you will have to manage your time with studying, working, and keeping up a social life, but by setting a few goals for yourself will help give you the motivation you need to work out. The most obvious and true goal you should have is to look good and be healthy for yourself, to be able to look at your reflection in the mirror and be proud of what you see. This alone is enough to give me the drive to hit the gym and has worked for the past 6 years. If looking good for yourself isn't enough to motivate you then go to the gym to look good for others as well. This may sound conceited , but let’s be honest here we all like to show off in some way or another and having a nice, tone figure is hard to miss, especially when those spring semester pool parties roll around.

Partying in college is nearly impossible to avoid, and even if you are responsible your body will still take a toll. Those late nights will tax your body and keep it from recovering the way it needs to, especially your brain which you use for the gratuitous amounts of studying you do, right? And those who like to party hardy will tax their bodies even worse. Rusty Moore has a few great tips in his article about this which you can view here. He advises eating sufficiently less during the day before a party so that the alcohol hits you faster which means, hopefully, less drinking and less carbs/calories as well as switching from alcohol to water 2 hours before going to bed which will kill the possibility of a hangover the next day which means you will have the energy and drive to hit the gym the following day.