Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
July 11, 2009
Making a lifestyle change like healthy eating and regular exercise requires the support of others. This can be difficult when you are the only one in your household interested in getting fit and caring for your body. While it is very difficult to make lifestyle changes like this alone, it is even harder when you are tempted by someone not making the same choices as you.
You can’t make someone else care about their body and your motivation to be healthy won’t necessarily be contagious to the other people of your household. It is in situations like this that you must remain steadfast and dedicated to your healthy eating and fitness goals.
Anytime you try to make a change in your life for the better, it likely seems that things pop up to keep you from reaching your goals. While this is a strange coincidence many of us face, it isn’t a reason to give up. Instead, such situations should be used as motivation. See them as a test against your healthy eating and fitness goals. When you can overcome odds like this to succeed you will find your confidence going through the roof!
Healthy eating for one in a household of two or more can be difficult but is far from impossible. If you are the cook of the house simply tell the others things are going to change. In the case of other adults, they may no longer want to eat your health food. If so, let them prepare their own meals. In the case of children, tweaking your recipes slightly can keep your kids eating healthy without pushing them away from nutritious foods.
When committing to healthy eating you are automatically putting your health needs first, and that’s the way it should be. No one else but you will make your health needs a priority. Don’t allow people at home or the office to sway you, instead seek out people that will support your healthy eating changes and perhaps even share in your goals.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
July 3, 2009
Everyone likes free things. While we can’t send everyone a free P90X program, we can give you the best in free P90X advice, tips, and basic fitness information. At the ExtremeBody Workout blog, we give you 7 posts a week about the programs we offer and getting in the best shape of your life. Have a question about your P90X system, ask us and we will do our best to give you a timely and accurate answer.
When you are on a quest to get fit and change your body for the better, you need all the help you can get. Finding informational and inspirational blogs like this one can increase your chances of success as you have one more resource of support.
P90X is an extreme fitness system. Fitness regimens, in general, can be difficult to stay with, particularly if fitness isn’t currently a daily aspect of your life. A program like P90X, that offers hard work with tremendous results can be difficult to stick with as well. Free P90X advice can be just one more tool to add to your toolbox of motivation.
The more support you have when beginning a challenging program like P90X, the better. Free P90X tips can make a difference in your knowledge of the system and your excitement in the program. While motivation certainly isn’t required for fitness, it does many things a whole lot easier.
We can’t give you free P90X accessories but we can deliver the best free P90X articles and answers we have. We know you want to know everything there is to know about this great program. We do our best to make sure you have what you need when beginning the P90X or any of our other programs.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
June 16, 2009
Why is eating healthy important? Sounds like a ridiculous question huh? You would be absolutely astounded at how many people search the Internet for an answer to this question on a daily basis. More than likely the people who are looking for the answer know on some level that eating healthy keeps them fit, it keeps their body running efficiently and it helps them live longer. They may be looking for a scientific answer or simply a reinforcement of what they already know.
When people ask a question like why is eating healthy important, they are likely looking for more than a textbook answer. Many times when we dance between trying to be healthy and slipping back into unhealthy habits, we look for justification. We play games with our minds and hope maybe we will discover that we don’t have to eat healthy or maybe we will find a recent scientific study stating that pizza is the new superfood.
Newsflash: it’s not going to happen. Eating healthy is important for weight management, disease prevention, and long life. In order to look good and feel good, we have to give our bodies the right fuel. So, why is eating healthy important?
It’s important for all of the reasons you have ever learned it is. You have to eat healthy to grow big and strong! You have to eat healthy to fight off disease and infection. You have got to give your body good fuel if you expect good performance from it. Eating healthy is important if you want to fit in your clothes, look good in a bathing suit, and simply feel comfortable in your own skin.
If someone were to ask me “why is eating healthy important?” my first reaction would be to wonder what their true motivations were. You don’t need to be a doctor to realize that eating healthy feels better. You don’t have to be a fitness whiz to know that it is important for a multitude of reasons and if you are searching the web for “why is eating healthy important?” just know that your mother was right and please eat your vegetables.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
June 8, 2009
We’ve been over this before here at the ExtremeBody Workout blog, but you really can’t overdo it when it comes to tips for making your home workout routine last. It’s pretty easy to start a fitness regimen. You have some motivation in the beginning and you may even be excited as you think about what this fitness endeavor could mean for your body, your health, your attitude, and your appearance. As time goes by, however, it is easy to let that excitement go. A day off can easily turn into a week which is very likely to turn into a month with no workouts. Many of you, I’m sure, can back me up on this one, keeping with a home workout routine requires more sheer dedication than it does motivation.
In the beginning there is motivation. You have your eyes on a pair of jeans in your closet or a bikini you bought last year. Whatever the motivation is, it’s much more likely to be present when you start your home workout routine. The problem with motivation is: it isn’t constant. Motivation will come and go and basing your workouts on motivation is a certain recipe for disaster.
Instead, committing to your home workout routine and working out because of dedication to that commitment can help ensure your success on the program. When you really commit to something, it is harder to allow it to fade away. Commitment requires much more dedication than a fleeting affair with motivation.
You can often find motivation in dedication. When you truly make up your mind to see something through, it can be motivating. However, on days when the motivation isn’t there, dedication needs to be present to carry you through. Don’t give yourself an option to workout, make it a necessity, a daily requirement. More than likely you will find that you will never regret a workout after the fact. However, if you give into temptation and skip a home workout routine, there is no doubt that you will likely regret your inaction.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
May 31, 2009
So you want fitness tips that will keep your motivation on high? Fitness advice is a great way to stay motivated and keep your eyes on the prize. Getting fit isn’t always easy, especially if you’ve got a long way to go. Little things make all the difference in propelling you towards your goals. There are several ways to get fitness tips to work for you.
Subscribe to fitness magazines. If you like to read magazines, this is a great way to learn about your fitness journey and keep your mind on getting fit. A monthly magazine that you enjoy packed with fitness tips and good health news can be a great way to stay in the zone. Plus, it makes it hard to fall off the fitness wagon when you have the literature of a fitness buff in your living room.
Use sticky notes. Short fitness tips posted around the house are another excellent motivator. “Are you really hungry?” is a great one for the frig. Try putting a “Talk a walk” note on your closet door or a “Can you walk there” where you hang your car keys. These little notes only take a second but can be that little voice in your head when the real little voice isn’t paying attention.
Use technology. Some of us are in front of the computer all day long. Use the first 10 minutes when you get to the officer or right before your lunch break to catch up on your favorite fitness blogs and website. Again, these provide a great source of information and can simply remind you what you are working toward. Also, use a motivating screen saver.
Peruse the literature you already have around the house for great fitness tips and use them! Workout systems like P90X come with a fitness guide chocked full of information. Hip Hop Abs has a great resource “Results on the Run”. This booklet of fitness tips is a great piece of information to keep in your car or pocketbook.
Keep fitness tips around you at all times. By immersing yourself in a healthy lifestyle, you are more likely to adjust to that lifestyle and continue living it.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
May 22, 2009
Whether you are someone who likes to stay fit or someone who struggles with it, fitness tips can serve a legitimate purpose for you. A little coaching and motivation goes a long way for anyone who is a fitness fanatic or just getting started with a program. Fitness tips are about more than education and learning something new; they work to keep your eyes on the prize and your actions lined up with your goals.
There are hundreds of sources for good fitness tips on the web. When deciding who to trust with your fitness tips, consider the source. If you like a certain blog on a site selling popular workout programs (ah-hem), chances are the website will provide quality tips relating to their products but also to general health subjects as well.
Personal blogs can also be a great source of tips too, however. Some of the most motivational pieces on the web are from people who struggle with their own weight and work on a daily basis to keep it off and stay healthy. These people know your situation and it is easy to identify with them. Their fitness tips can come in the form of how they overcome cravings or lack of motivation.
Simply reading about fitness advances and new articles can also be a great motivation. Chances are your favorite fitness magazine has an official website. And more than likely, that website contains articles, discussion boards, and even recipes. Fitness tips are everywhere you turn on sites like this.
Use fitness tips to your advantage. Find one or several sources that you like and bookmark them. Check them out in the morning while you drink your coffee or over your lunch break. Allowing your personal time to become an opportunity for motivation will help you stick with the program and continue to see great results.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
May 7, 2009
Home workout regimens are likely the most convenient form of fitness. You are able to get fit with no one around, in the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to worry about what you are wearing or who can see you sweating and grunting. They don’t require a commute or a monthly membership. There are several reasons that many people prefer home workout regimens. However, despite all of the convenience, it is still exercise and these things require dedication.
One of the problems with motivation is that many people don’t act until they get it. Motivation isn’t required for any workouts but particularly for home workout regimens. Motivation is a definite bonus, but as you get fit and accustomed to working out you will find that sometimes your best workouts come on days when you initially didn’t feel like getting off your butt!
When you truly dedicate yourself to home workout regimens, motivation doesn’t matter. You must workout regardless of your level of motivation. What really matters is your level of dedication.
Being truly dedicated to your health and fitness is evident when you work out regardless of how you are feeling. Casting aside the lack of motivation and simply doing what you should is a good indication that you are truly dedicated to home workout regimens.
If you still seek motivation, try looking at fitness sites online or turning the health channel on your television for a while. Reading a fitness magazine can also get you motivated. Home workout regimens don’t require motivation to work but I understand that somedays you might require it.
In general, we put too much emphasis on motivation. Often when we skip a workout our excuse is the lack of motivation. In order to succeed at home workout regimes, you have to cast those excuses aside. Motivation isn’t a requirement but simply a bonus in your quest for weight loss. Once this really sinks in, you won’t be so tempted to miss a workout on days when motivation is low or nonexistent.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
March 24, 2009
Whether you want help getting correct form during your workouts or tips about protein supplements, finding a reliable source for fitness tips can be invaluable. As you maintain a daily fitness regimen, things can get dull and motivation will come and go. Having a variety of fitness tips and information available can keep things fresh and interesting.
When you find a reliable source for fitness tips (like this blog!), be certain to bookmark it. How many times have you stumbled across a great website only to forget it and never run across it again. Having motivational sites like this available in a folder on your favorites, makes getting daily exercise information a cinch.
Fitness tips can help you stay injury free as well. Knowing how to exercise correctly and how to recognize injuries when they happen will assist you in your workouts by keeping you strong and injury free. Great fitness tips include those that educate you about proper form and safe exercising.
Sharing with other fitness buffs can be a great method of getting fitness tips as well. Finding discussion boards with likeminded people is a great way to keep interest high and gain some valuable insight into the fitness regimes of other people like you. Sometimes the best tips come from regular people.
Fitness tips serve many purposes. They motivate you, educate you, and keep you working out in the most effective ways. Find a few reliable sources and stick with them. As you absorb the fitness tips you will become a knowledgeable source for someone else.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
February 25, 2009
Looking to lose weight? If you are you may be interested to know that weight loss workouts and a healthy diet are vital in lasting weight loss. Did I hear a “duh”? Yeah, I know it is obvious, but how many of us know the truth and fail to live it. Whether your excuse is time, effort, or just plain lack of motivation, most of us find exercise easier to manage than diet or vice versa.
For me, it’s diet. I can manage what I eat, but finding the “umph” to workout is another story. I have found tricks and methods to make fitness work for me and know that others have to do the same thing. Weight loss workouts must have short term payoffs to entice me. Lately, realizing the stress reducing effects of daily exercise has been a tremendous motivator.
For others, it’s the food that poses a problem. These people may be lifelong athletes, always finding time for a workout and never dealing with that lack of motivation. For them, weight loss workouts are no sweat. It’s the food regulation that is difficult for these folks.
Regardless of your challenge in staying fit, you must find ways to cope with it. Recognizing your weaknesses and dealing with them will help you keep your health a priority for life. Weight loss workouts and diet are essential components to overall health and happiness.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
February 19, 2009
It’s hard enough to motivate yourself to go to the gym. But, when you decide to get fit in the comfort of your own home, sometimes it takes even more motivation. It’s easy to get distracted with other things that need to get done around the house, errands to run, and an occasional relaxing break. Finding ways to stay with your home workout plans, however, is crucial to your success on a fitness program.
Whether you are doing P90X or Hip Hop Abs, ChaLEAN Extreme or Ten Minute Trainer, your body will fight you somedays. Somedays your mind will help you think of every reason not to exercise and you must be prepared to avoid this attack on your home workout plans.
While home workout plans are more convenient than going to the gym or taking a class, they are also easier to slack off on. You are the only person pushing you through the workouts; there is no instructor and no one is watching you.
You must be dedicated to your home workout plans even when the motivation isn’t there. Motivational tricks like playing pumped up music or getting your workout clothes on well in advanced work, some of the time. The rest of the time you have to learn to push past the unwillingness to budge.
The next time that nagging voice creeps up into your mind telling you that you don’t really need to workout today, ignore it. Fight it. Do what you have to in order to keep it out of your mind. That voice is a convincing one and in the beginning you will have to fight it off in the interest of saving your home workout plans.
As you get accustomed to the new fit you winning the motivational challenge, working out when you don’t want to will become easier and it will also become less frequent. The more you stay with your home workout plans, the more you will want to workout. Who knows you may even find yourself wanting a workout on your scheduled days off.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
January 4, 2009
When you begin the ChaLEAN Extreme program you are obviously looking for results. Perhaps you have some serious weight to lose or maybe you are at your ideal weight but want to transform those pounds from flab to muscle. Whatever the goals, you will see serious results with the ChaLEAN Extreme program. It was designed to give you the transformation you are looking for. Tracking your fitness goals and results is vital in keeping motivation high. Whatever program you are doing, knowing where you come from and how that compares to where you are now can be a big push on days when you are feeling less than motivated about a workout. With ChaLEAN Extreme you are given several resources to track your progress, ensuring not only a motivational high but also complete and accurate measurements of your progress overall.
The first way ChaLEAN Extreme will have you measure your progress is by testing your body fat with an included body fat caliper. While pounds are important to some of in the quest for a fit body, it is important to remember that while your body is changing, you can see major improvements sometimes with little movement on the scale. This is because muscle is more tightly compacted. What I mean is 20 pounds of muscle looks a whole lot better, and leaner, than 20 pounds of fat. The included body fat caliper and instructions will ensure you know where those pounds are coming from and will even account for body composition changes on weeks when the scale doesn’t move.
In the Muscle Burns Fat Guidebook, you are also given a spot for recording your body measurements. ChaLEAN Extreme will show you exactly where to measure and gives you a place to record those measurements. Again, similar to the body fat caliper, using measurements allows you to see changes when the pounds aren’t dropping off. While your clothes are fitting looser and looser, your measurements will also decline and give you a great sense of accomplishment.
Last but certainly not least is the ever popular before and after photos. Again, ChaLEAN Extreme will tell you exactly how to take the best before and after shots. You will have no problem wondering how to stand or where to hold your arms. In the guidebook, there is also a place for your photos. These pictures will become a source of great motivation as you embark on the program, so don’t be ashamed of them now.
Tracking your progress with this program, like all others, is important. Of course you will know you are making strides as your jean size decreases, but these three methods of measurement will leave no doubt in your mind. ChaLEAN Extreme will deliver big results and the means by which to measure them too.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
December 21, 2008
We have all made plans to get fit and not followed through. The New Year is upon us and many will make New Year’s resolutions involving weight loss or fitness. Unfortunately, statistics show that many of those New Year’s resolutions won’t last. Making a lifestyle change involves more than the initial motivation and excitement. In order to make a personal exercise plan that will stand the test of time you must be realistic and realize that results and change take time and persistence.
Don’t make a personal exercise plan that is unrealistic for your life or schedule. When we initially begin a new personal exercise plan, we are often ambitious in how many hours a day we can dedicate to it. Sure, in the beginning two hours a day may seem doable, and you might actually keep it up for a week or two. But the reality is that time frame is just not sustainable. When you set your goals, keep them realistic and think far ahead. Realize that your excitement over the new program will probably not last.
Make your plan a priority. A personal exercise plan that stands the test of time is one that you can be accountable for. There will inevitably be days where you don’t want to exercise, where the last thing on your mind is getting fit or active. On those days your resolve is truly tested. Making certain that your personal exercise plan is a mandatory part of your day and not an option can help you see it as something that can’t be neglected.
Write down your goals and progress. Being accountable to yourself is a great way to stay on track with your personal exercise plan. When you see your goals and your progress in black and white, it is cemented not only in your mind but also in a tangible way. Being able to see those first few inches come off (or on, depending on your goals) can be a great motivator.
Keep in mind your personal exercise plan is about being healthier. When you focus too narrowly on goals like “lose ten pounds”, you see a personal exercise plan as a temporary thing. Focusing on your total body health and wellness allows you to see fitness as a lifelong goal.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
December 15, 2008
When starting a fitness program, any toll you can use to keep your motivation on high helps. An exercise log sheet serves many purposes. A good exercise log sheet will help you keep track of what you have been achieving, making it easier to track your progress. It also serves as a motivational tool. Looking back on where you came from fitness wise compared with where you are 30 days or 60 days into a program really does a world of good in keeping you on track.
As an example, in P90X all of the strength training moves require hand weights or resistance bands. You are encouraged to push your muscles as much as you can and find the correct weight that works for each exercise. Twenty pound weights may work for one move while for another you might need 30 pounds to get the same burn. An exercise log sheet allows you to remember what you lifted last time so you’re not fumbling through multiple weights, trying to find the right one, with every workout.
Another good use of an exercise log sheet is tracking reps. Along with the weight poundage, you may be able to push 10 reps out with one move while you can only manage 8 with another using a specific weight. Depending on your goals you may look at this and determine a lighter or heavier weight is necessary to get your reps where you want them. Tracking how many reps of each exercise you did allows you to further track your progress and fine tune your workout with an exercise log sheet.
On days when your motivation is low, pulling out your exercise log sheet can really make a difference. Take a look at the numbers on your first week and compare them with where you are now. Hard work produces results, everytime. Seeing your hard work from another point of view (with the exercise log sheet) somehow makes it seem more profound.
Good exercise programs, like P90X include a exercise log sheet with the system. Planning ahead and knowing that tracking your progress is vital to forward progression, the P90X system includes the perfect log sheet for the program.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
December 8, 2008
Getting fit in your home is great. No stinky locker rooms, no self-conciousness, no waiting for machines, and no membership fees! But, the one down side of a home workout routine is the lack of accountability. While someone may learn to expect your face at the gym or people close to you might know about your trips there, typically your home workout routine is your business and yours alone.
For whatever reason, when we are only accountable to ourselves, we are less likely to follow through on something. Having others expect something from us makes us more likely to do them. Perhaps that is why with any fitness routine but especially home workout routines, it is so easy to let that initial determination fall off.
Finding ways to stick with your home workout routine, then, is key. Think about those things in your life that you are dedicated to and ask yourself what makes you stay dedicated. More than likely those are things that you feel you don’t have a choice about. For instance, you are likely dedicated to your job because you need a paycheck. You may be dedicated to your family but for the majority of us, not being dedicated to them just isn’t an option. Dedication to a long standing hobby may now feel like a part of your life, and stopping could seem out of the question.
In order for a home workout routine to really last, you must not make it an option. It has to be a constant, something that is a part of your life. Fitness has to be a necessity for you rather than an option! Schedule it on your calendar and let the family know what times you will be working out. In other words,plan for success.
They say it takes 21 days to build a new habit. If you are just beginning a home workout routine, give yourself 21 days. Make a promise to yourself or anyone that will listen that you are going to workout, diligently, and enthusiastically for 21 days (don’t forget a few days of rest in there!). If you can get past these 21 days, seeing fitness as a true fixture in your life won’t seem like such a long shot.
Don’t give yourself a choice when it comes to your home workout routine. Follow through with your workout just like you pay your bills, go to work, or feed your family. See it as a permanent component of your daily schedule and it becomes much easier to make it happen.
Posted by Elizabeth Renter on
December 6, 2008
Motivation is a huge factor when embarking on a fitness program. While you may not be able to find it everyday, anything that you can do to increase it is helpful. A daily exercise tip or article can be just the thing to get your mind focused for the day on the fitness task at hand. Starting your day with some helpful information about exercise can ensure that you are starting your day with your mind in the right spot.
Everyday, without fail, I post to this blog. In an effort to keep people fit, healthy, and informed, we at ExtremeBodyWorkout.com come up with topics you are interested in. We scour the web for what people like you want to hear and want to learn about. Then, a daily exercise tip or health article is posted.
Posting to this blog in the morning is not only a job for me. It gets my mind set on my fitness goals for the day. What you fill your mind with is often what you fill your life with. Starting the day by reading a daily exercised tip or fitness article can put you in the zone and get your mind on track for the entire day.
Somedays you may find information you already know here, but a refresher course in nutrition and exercise basics never hurt! Somedays you may actually learn something. If so, feel free to comment and let me know! We do our best to give you information you are looking for in a daily exercise tip and do it in a way that is fun to read and easy to understand.
Just because we sell products on ExtremeBodyWorkout.com doesn’t mean all of our information is slanted. We do the best we can to give you accurate information in our daily exercise tips and fitness articles. We stand behind all of our products and fitness systems, though, and you will see that in our blog!
If what you are looking for in a daily exercise tip is easy to understand, reliable information, you’ve found it. As always, feel free to comment and someone here at ExtremeBodyWorkout.com will respond if you have any questions.
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