This is my health and fitness journal. I am a P90X graduate, a 30 Day Shred survivor, and more. You can lose weight and get fit at home! I want to inspire you in your journey to better health. Join our social media communities using the buttons below! Cast bios: P90X, P90X2, Insanity, Jillian Michaels workouts and more… Free workouts and reviews….
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I recently returned from a 10 day vacation at a “magical” place in central Florida. The days were fun. The food was great, and plentiful. In order to maintain some connection to my usual fitness routine, I wanted to do an early morning workout as many days as I could. If our schedule called for an early departure from the hotel, or a late evening, I wasn’t going to drag myself out of bed too early. I thought it would be a good idea for my body and mind if I worked hard for 30 minutes or so before starting my day.
The big problem was that the “value resort” where we were staying did not have a hotel gym. My family didn’t like the idea of me working out in the close quarters of the hotel room, either, and I can’t blame them. I scouted for a location outside where I could do a bodyweight workout, without feeling as if I was on display. I mean, it’s not as if there are a lot of people circulating at a resort before 7 AM, but I didn’t want an audience. I noticed that the parking lot was large enough so there were empty spaces in the center, away from the surrounding buildings, and there was a large trailer parked there too. The perfect cover, at least on one side! So I found my workout spot for the next few days.
Here is the perfect example of something Tony Horton says all the time: All you need for a good workout is “Your own body, gravity, and Mother Earth” (or in this case, asphalt). For several of those days, I did the FitnessBlender Spartan 500 Workout. One day I did HIIT The Ground Running, and another I even HIIT Like a Girl. (Check out my review of the FitnessBlender website. I use their workouts a lot!) The asphalt was not the perfect surface, because I didn’t want to lie down for abs exercises, and my hands got dirty during plank exercises, but I made it work.
I did use a little bit of technology, because I had my iPhone to watch the workout videos. For the Spartan 500, though, all I needed was a list of five exercises and the ability to count 10 exercise sets (I used wood chips). I could have used a program like the ones from The Hybrid Athlete, or any of the workout infographics out there. So it’s definitely possible to get a good workout when you’re away from home, with no equipment and no indoor space. Truth be told, I liked my previous vacation workouts better. At least these made me feel a little tougher!
What do you do to get a little exercise while traveling or on vacation?
I really like to learn from my productive friends, and other productivity experts. They talk about to do lists, maximum results for a task in a shorter amount of time, setting goals and achieving them, stuff like that. I have a long way to go before I could consider myself to be “productive” in many areas of my life, including the publishing frequency of this blog.
Since I have become so fitness-minded, I have noticed many of my friends share common traits when it comes to their exercise routines, too. They include exercise as an important part of their daily habits. They get on the treadmill, walking or running for a predetermined amount of time. If their pace allows, they might use that time for reading, or listening to podcasts at any speed. If they prefer to exercise outdoors, the walk or run is the perfect time to record a podcast episode, or schedule a phone call with a friendly audience, who won’t mind the breathless tone of the discussion. This seems like a great way to check off the “exercise” box on the to do list for the day, right? Another often-mentioned exercise benchmark is “10,000 steps per day” as measured by a pedometer, or about 5 miles/8 kilometers. This includes any type of walking or running, not limited to an exercise session.
I applaud the idea that any truly productive person should make regular exercise a priority in their busy life. As a matter of fact, I can speak from personal experience that I re-introduced exercise into my life years ago, when I had gained some weight in my post-college years at a desk job. I walked. I jogged. I literally wore out a treadmill to the point where it was replaced under warranty. I lost weight, ever so slowly, and I gained some back. It was frustrating.
I achieved my weight loss goal in October 2009, a few months after I got off the treadmill and changed my workout habits. I was a fan of The Biggest Loser, and I had been listening to Jillian Michaels on her radio show which was also available as a podcast feed. I decided to try her workout DVDs, which included a combination of cardio, weight training, and abdominal exercises. In addition, my friend Cliff Ravenscraft was talking about calorie counting on his podcasts, so I created an account on the Calorie Count website to see how my eating habits could be improved. I kept a tight rein on my calorie intake, and increased the amount of protein in my diet. It took me three years to lose the first 20 pounds; I lost those last 20 pounds in three months. I’ve kept off the weight, and gained muscle, ever since.
Here are my recommendations for truly productive exercise:
Focus: I’ve heard many productivity experts talk about focusing on a task to complete it in the shortest amount of time. Of course it’s possible to do certain types of exercise while watching or listening to something else, but for best results you should focus on your exercise so that it is done properly and in the most challenging way for your current fitness level. If you’re using an exercise video, watch what they are doing and follow along.
Variety: In addition to the cardiovascular benefits of walking or running, you should include weight training, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and abdominal or “core” training such as yoga or Pilates. Total body workouts will produce better results than walking or running as the sole form of exercise. (If the words “high intensity” seem too scary, look for “low impact” workouts that use the same principles.)
Intensity: I’ve heard complaints that the “10,ooo steps per day” approach takes a lot of time. Similarly, long cardio sessions tend to decrease in intensity as we get tired. You’re better off to set a shorter time goal, such as 30 minutes, and go as hard as you can. For weight training, fewer repetitions of heavier weights will produce better results than lifting those light weights 100 times.
Structure: There are several exercise methods which are both time-saving and highly effective. For example, Dr. Izumi Tabata created the Tabata Protocol, which is 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, 10 seconds rest, repeated eight times (four minutes total exercise). This method has been modified and applied to many different workouts; for example, check out this selection at FitnessBlender. A different approach has been to combine the most effective exercises (based on research studies) into a scientifically proven exercise circuit. A third example is the so-called Manmaker Workout, which is an advanced exercise sequence combining upper body, lower body, strength training, core, and cardiovascular effort.
So if you want to accomplish your exercise goals, save time, and get better results, explore some of the workouts available at websites such as FitnessBlender or HASfit, just two of the free workout websites I have featured in my Free Workout Fridays series. I’ve also written about when to pay for a workout program. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or on the Facebook page.
There’s been some media attention lately about the topic of fat shaming, which can be described as confronting someone who is overweight or obese, in an attempt to force them to change. I think this is mean, ineffective, and reflects poorly on the (sometimes) well-meaning people who do it, in person or online. This controversy reminded me of a similar kind of “shaming” I experienced when I was working hard to lose weight, about five years ago.
If you’ve read my About page, you know that I gained excess weight starting in my late 20s, over a period of about 15 years. When I got to my 40s, and I was 40-50 lbs overweight. You could see it in the roundness of my face, and the pot belly, but I was still just below the obese category (BMI 27). I was increasingly aware of the difficulties facing obese people, including shortness of breath when climbing stairs, needing to purchase bigger clothes (and having them fit improperly), and the way I looked carrying that extra weight. Let’s put aside for the moment the idea that it is possible to be healthy and obese, because I was not one of those people: My blood tests were showing signs of elevated cholesterol, for example.
What prompted me to finally lose weight, after all those years, and half-hearted attempts (including a weight and waist size journal)? I am 5′ 10″ tall, medium build, and I was about to cross the 200 lb mark. I was ready to back away from that line, and get back down to a more comfortable 150-160 lbs. So I set my goal weight as 155 lbs, and achieved it in October, 2008. I’ve been maintaining my waist size, and gaining muscle, ever since.
I found a lot of encouragement from other people, but most of them were online friends, who were “in the fight” with me, to improve their health. Many of the people closest to me could not understand why weight loss was so important to me. If you read my “do not cross” weight was 200 lbs, and thought to yourself “Big deal!” then you understand what I was facing.
After: Fred May 2013
“You’re not fat!” or “You’re not TOO fat!” (Weird Al might have said, “You ain’t fat! You ain’t nothin’!”) I heard those words a lot, from (sometimes) well-meaning people, who were overweight or obese. Apparently I did not “need to lose weight” because had not succeeded at becoming fat enough yet. This did not make me feel good about my accomplishments, as I worked to lose a few pounds each week. I kept my weigh-ins a secret from my family members, because it was a difficult subject for them. I was accused of being “obsessed” with my weight. I will not deny that anyone is a candidate for anorexia or orthorexia, but having someone to share my progress and struggles would certainly help to prevent that from happening to me, right?
If you’re like I was, with 10 lbs, 20 lbs, or more to lose, but people are telling you “Oh come on, are you kidding?” then here are some suggestions:
Be reasonable about your weight loss goals. You might never get back to that “perfect” weight and waist size, but you can work your way into those clothes you outgrew a few years ago. (I recommend the Fat2Fit Radio website for great weight loss tips, and their BMR Calculator as a place to start.)
Find people who will encourage you along the way, and keep you accountable if you start to lose momentum, or go off the deep end.
When you do reach your goal, have a plan for maintaining your weight and health that does not involve extremes of diet and exercise. Lots of people say “I’m glad THAT’s over!” (more or less) and put the weight back on, too. It’s possible to establish healthy habits that last a lifetime.
If you’ve had a similar experience, I would love to read about it, in the comments below or on the Facebook page!
This is not my usual fitness humor blog post. Is this humor, inspiration, or a little of both? I had never heard of Zach Anner before seeing one of his Workout Wednesdays videos on a friend’s Facebook feed. According to his Wikipedia page, 29-year-old Zach was born with cerebral palsy, and it’s been an interesting life so far. During college he was part of a sketch comedy group, which led to the creation of a web series. A few years later, he was the winner of a reality show contest on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and had the opportunity to star in a (short-lived) television series called Rollin’ With Zach. Currently he creates videos for his YouTube channel (ZachAnner).
Zach uses a wheelchair, and I don’t, but we do share one physical feature: Those distinctive crooked eyes. (Yes, we ARE looking at you!) Anyway, Zach definitely has a unique take on the “workout video.” It’s part comedy, part education (as we see what he can do, despite his disability), and part inspiration, for those who think “I can’t.” He uses workout machines, dumbbells, a boxing partner, and even the stairs. In between the jokes, there are some nuggets of truth.
This is not exactly a Free Workout Friday as such, because I haven’t found any start-to-finish workouts on this site yet. I am still very excited about the information available at Howcast.com. They provide short “how to” videos about a variety of subjects, including Sports & Fitness. Each sub-topic includes a collection of videos, which are very specific, and created by a subject matter expert.
Here’s an example: The series Boot Camp Workout for Women was done by Insanity cast member Rachel Buschert Vaziralli! (By the way, the exercises she demonstrates are not just for women). Rachel demonstrates, one at a time, the exercises you might perform in a “boot camp” style workout: Squats, push ups, jumping jacks, lunges, deadlifts, etc, with several variations (one per video). This series alone contains 46 videos, including an introduction and some concluding remarks by Rachel about how to put it all together in a workout.
Hey guys, if you prefer, there’s also a series called Get in Shape with Warrior Fitness Boot Camp, presented by two former U.S. Marines. It’s up to you, really. The other topics cover everything from bowling to foam rolling to professional wrestling. (30 videos for that last one!) If you’re looking for a demonstration of a specific exercise, or you want to learn more about a new activity, this is the place to go.
