Challenges 2 & 3

What it can't already be December the 12th?! Where has December gone? Well I guess I will have to post 2 challenges this week!

Your second challenge, should you choose to accept it is, consume a serving of fruits of vegetables with each meal. + only eating fruits and vegetables after 8:00 pm (if you are hungry).

Your third challenge, should you choose to accept it is, participate in 30 minutes of exercise 4 days a week. This could be walking, running, zumba,TRX, dancing in your kitchen singing into a wooden spoon to "Girls just wanna have fun", taking your kids to the park (and actually playing with them)... The possibilities are endless. Be creative.

I've chosen goals that are designed to help you get ready for a more intense workout program starting in January and goals that are reasonable to obtain during the busy month of December.

To date your December Challenges include:

-Stretching 30 minutes a day, everyday.
-(pop challenge) Finding your resting heart rate.
-Consuming a serving a fruits and veggies per meal everyday.
-Workout for 30 minutes 4 days a week.

Remember that you are adding each challenge to the next. So you still need to be stretching each day as well as doing the other challenges. 

Pop Challenge!

Surprise! It's time for a POP CHALLENGE  to go along with our regular December challenges.

To get your best weight loss results you should be training using different heart rate ranges. In order to know which range you should be training in you need to know your resting heart rate. Your new challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to find out what your resting heart rate is.

How to find your resting heart rate:

-Try to wake up with out an alarm but if you need to use an alarm make sure that it is as peaceful as you can make it. 
-Do not sit up or stand up after you wake up!This is very important.
-Make sure you have a watch with a second hand or a stop watch next to your bed. Find your pulse either at the wrist or your neck.

-Count the number of beats for one minute. 

-Take your pulse for 3 consecutive days. Find the average of your numbers: find the sum of all the numbers and divide by how many numbers there are.

For example: 

If your numbers are 64, 67, and 70 then + them together =201 and / by 3 which  = 67.

By following these steps you should end up with your resting heart rate. Good luck! 

December Challenge! #1

It's the end of the year which means it's almost time to make your New Years Resolution of loosing weight and getting healthier. I find it humorous to go to the gym in January and find it totally packed, only to come back a month later and see it the same as usual.

I thought it would be fun to use December to get into some good habits before we all start our new workout plans in January (because lets face it, we all know it's going to happen). Each week we're going to do a new challenge which we will add on to the previous. 

Your first challenge, should you choose to accept, is to stretch 30 minutes a day. I'm not going to post specific stretches because I want it to be something you can and will do for the rest of your life. Find something that works for you whether that's Yoga, Classical Stretch, or your own variation of stretching. Stretch while you're watching your favorite TV show, or split up your 30 minutes through out the day. You could stretch in bed when you wake up and in bed when you're going to sleep. Stretch in your car at stop lights? Or maybe that's when you are doing your Kegel exercises. 

The benefits of stretching and flexibility include (but are certainly not limited to):

- Decreased risk of injury.

- Improved posture.

- Decreased back pain.

- Increase in blood flow.

- & just feeling good!!!  

I have to admit that this is going to be a hard one for me. I often think of that Brian Regan skit 'Simply take the bottom of your right foot and place it on the small of your back and rrreeellllaaaaax.  I can't even touch my toes with straight legs people!!

So who's in it with me?! Lets get all bendy and flexible!