New Year Resolutions … did you make one? Are you still going strong, or have you gone off the rails already? I’ve learned, believe it or not, that no-one is perfect and we all jump the tracks from time to time, no matter what goals we have set for ourselves. But, life is about getting back on the saddle, in fact one of my favorite quotes I’ve heard, 7 days in to 2017 is the following:
“Life grows relative to one’s investment in it.” – Marc Benioff.
Profound, no? So, today, take a minute to re-evaluate your resolutions to get fit and healthy this year. Are they realistic? Or have you set yourself up for failure? Remember, our path to our goals has to be sustainable. It’s cool to give up sugar or alcohol for 30-days, but if you resolved to give up junk food forever, time to get real. This list below can help you with sustainable paths, it’s a list of apps and workouts, and hacks and ideas to get you to where you want to be in as fast a timeframe as possible.
So, January 1 has come and gone, just like most of our New Year Resolutions, right? This year, however, I’ll have you know that I made a Resolution for myself that I know I can nail … “Slow Down”.
I’m off to an amazing start. Yesterday, my ribs still reeling from a wicked fall on the mountain the day before, I did a whopping 2 loads of laundry, watched 4 episodes of Law and Order, went sledding for about 30 minutes, served cookies for dinner and went to the pool with the fam.
I know, I know, not everyone can be as awesome as me at sticking to their New Year Resolutions, but I’m here to help with a whole host of ideas and cool gadgets, apps and whatnot for those of you who chose the lofty and ever popular “get fit” Resolution for 2017.
Now, lest you think I’m going to let myself go, and that my plan for 2017 is to become Jabba the Hut, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. My family is my everything. Which means, I must keep up with these wild hooligans.
Hence, in addition to “Slow Down” I’m gonna be right there with y’all trying to make my body as fit and as svelte as I possibly can. And I’ll be utilizing a lot of these cool & nifty Fitness Tips and ideas … so kick back, slow down and get ready to Google, Facebook, Youtube and App Store all this coolness.
Table of Contents
Zombie Run!
If you haven’t heard of the super awesome app, Zombies Run!, you are seriously missing out. If you are a runner, a wannabe runner or hate running as much as I do, this app will legit keep you moving as you run wherever, whenever and listen to your mission and music through your headphones.
It’s the zombie apocalypse, your town has been invaded and you must rebuild, rescue others, and gather supplies, along with a handful of other survivors. As you run, you pick up supplies and the story is so good, it distracts you from the fact that you are running!
What’s more, It’s interval training for the physically un-obsessed, really. If you are chased by zombies, you run faster. When you out run them, you return to your comfortable pace (or crawl).
HIIT Mafia
This gal, Melissa Ioja, is the bomb. I’ve watched her videos, thought, I should do those and then ordered pizza. But, the other day, my fit-as-shit friend was singing her praises and I thought, Hell!, if I’d just done these daily 20-25 minute exercises last year when I found Melissa, I could be lit!
So, that’s what is going on down here, with a vengeance. And she is motivational, quick and hot. No more 1.5 hours of P90X for me. If I can get what I need, legs, core, arms, whatever in less than 30 minutes AND do more more my body, count me in! I’m all about time management, as you know. LOL.
You can find Hiit Mafia on Facebook BUT be sure to check out her 30 Day HIIT Initiation … in fact, comment below if you want to join me as I’m starting on the 9th January! 🙂 Her workouts are (for now) free, which is also a major BONUS!
Trace Snow
For those of us who cannot fathom actually “working out” in a gym, and would much prefer to be partaking in real life epicness, like on the mountain, shredding on our boards, trying to keep up with our kids, check out this app.
Trace tracks your speed, distance, vertical miles, calories, airtime, jumps, distance and more. It’s perfect for peeps like me who love to say, “I logged XXX vertical miles this week.” Or to put some reality into your claim, “I was in the air for like 50 yards!”
And to measure calories as well … winning!! It’s FREE too, yo!
Cleansing
If there is one thing that will help you lose weight FAST and help keep it off, it’s Intermittent Fasting. It is the name of the game, y’all. Clean Eating is great, watching calories is great, staying away from alcohol and junk food sucks, but is great. But fasting once or twice per week is the easiest and most productive way to manage your weight and what’s best of all, is it’s totally backed by science.
It can be also be accomplished, one of two ways. The first is by drinking only water throughout a 24 hour period. Many people do this and survive and thrive.
The other is by utilizing my special drink that gives your body all the nutrients it needs to function during the day all the while cleansing the body of toxins. I’ve tried the water route and I had zero energy, I was grumpy and hungry, hence, I use this drink.
My Fitness Pal
Tracking calories may be a chore, but studies show that keeping a food journal DOUBLES weight loss. And I gotta agree. Maybe you think that one cracker and then that handful of peanuts and those two bites of your kids Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and the half can of soda you chugged don’t matter, but oh my friend, they do matter. And it all adds up.
By keeping a journal, you hold yourself accountable and can see exactly what goes in your mouth!
There are few apps that deliver more in weight loss “journey” than My Fitness Pal and it’s a serious Fitness Tip hack. It makes tracking calories brainless. It has a database of over 5 million foods, even my protein shakes are listed, and if something’s actually NOT in the database, you can enter it manually (and save the food if it’s something you eat frequently), or even scan a UPC code!
Lay Off the Booze
Yeah, so not a popular tip, but seriously, do you have any idea how many calories those fruity girly drinks you consume contain? That Long Island Ice Tea you love is a whopping 780 calories, a margarita, 740 calories, a pina colada 640 and so on and so on. Even beer lays on the calories, have a few and you could have indulged in something decadent.
If giving up your alcohol is like asking for a kidney, check out this list of low calorie drinks that are, you know, low calorie, relatively tasty and still deliver that buzz you enjoy without destroying your weight loss goals!
Krav Maga
Anyone who has watched our videos knows how much we love MMA and wrestling around here, it’s super epic fun and a crazy workout to boot. So, just the other day, literally, while scouring for a 30-day HIIT challenge I found Krav Maga. I know I’m late to the party, and most people in the fitness world are familiar with it, but this discovery for me was … you got it, EPIC! Talk about a fun Fitness Tip! I mean, I just got done having a convo with some friends about how I wanted to start boxing and then BOOM, Krav Maga videos on Youtube.
So, not totally for everyone, but if you can’t handle the boring repetitiveness of exercise DVD’s and you love the feeling of strength and power and the thought that you could beat the pulp outta anyone who messes with you this could be the fitness genre that changes your world … so check it!!
LOVE Melissa Ioja!! And HiitMafia!!!!!!!!!!
Heck yeah!!!