Is it just me, or is this year flying by? I cannot believe that it is already July 15th!
I hope that you have managed to spend some time with your family and friends this summer. Remember that list I told you to make back in June, how much of it have you completed?
Fitness
I acknowledge that not everyone loves to love their cardio. Some of you may, in fact, despise cardio. Well, I have some amazing news for you resistance training junkies. Recent studies have shown that resistance training, what was traditionally called weight training, has AMAZING benefits!
Doing 1-3 sets of 12-15 reps of full body resistance training a minimum of 2, preferably 3, days a week can decrease your A1c levels, your blood pressure, and your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. It also helps increase your resting metabolic rate and your HDL (good cholesterol) levels. This same amount of resistance training has also been shown to help fight obesity!
Resistance training works, my friends!!!
One of the reasons I love resistance training is all of the variety available. You can do body weight, free weight, resistance band, TrX workouts. So many options!
For a basic start here you go:
15 squats.
15 push ups, wall push ups, table push ups, or modified push ups
15 lunges each leg
10 dumbbell rows (use a jar of spaghetti sauce, free weights, or something of weight that you have)
15 second plank.
15 over head presses, using weights as above
If you search the internet, you will find no shortage of body weight workouts. Just don't overdo it, or you're setting yourself up for injury.
Nutrition
I kind of have an obsession with food. I mean, food gives us the nutrients we need to keep our bodies going. I love fueling mine with food that is in season.
Summer is an amazing time grab some fresh peaches. A large, sweet, juicy, delicious peach only has about 70 calories and is rich in vitamins A and C. They also contain magnesium and potassium.
Why not whip up this slightly healthier peach crisp for dessert this week and enjoy what the season has to offer!
Mind Body Connection
I truly enjoy fitness. I also really enjoy meditation, yoga, tai chi, and pretty much any other form of fitness that combines mental focus with the physical world. A great form of mind body fitness is Pilates. The focus of Pilates isn't quantity, it's quality. It was developed by Joseph Pilates and requires quite a bit of focus and control to perform. You'll be surprised by how difficult it can be to perform just 15 simple abdominal moves.
Another great thing about Pilates is that it can pretty much be completed without any equipment, always a plus.
Check out this workout and let me know what you think!
Have a great rest of your month, I'll see you in August!
Love to you all,
Kris