via – Lydia M, AbsoluteFIT Blogger @ AVAC®
I’m missing the studio (a little) but the beach is pretty great as an alternative – and check out that muscle definition! Fearless in a bikini at 43, y’all – that’s AbsoluteFIT. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t actually working out – just had my kid take a quick side-plank shot for drama’s sake. Back to lounging – aloha, everybody, and I’ll see ya the day after I get back!)
–Lydia M.
via – Lydia M., AbsoluteFIT blogger
AbsoluteFIT is one of those habits you’re glad to have.
You know I mean that in a good way, right? Heh. OK but just look at this:
That’s the MyFitnessPal app on my phone — I’ve logged 65+ days in a row (starting when I was on the AbsoluteFIT Challenge 2.0), which I think I can now call a genuine habit.
Food-wise, it keeps me honest, and so far, it’s helped me lose 11 pounds with remarkably little effort. And that’s INCLUDING a food category I’ve created in the app called “blowout” — that’s how I log things like my awesome, high-calorie Mother’s Day (breakfast in bed, big lunch, favorite dinner cooked by my husband and topped off by lots of wine and cake). It’s dispiriting to break feasts like that into their component parts, so I just … don’t. I’ll just be like — “blowout, 3,500 calories.” And the next day, I’m back to the usual detailed logging.
Exercise-wise, it’s a thrill to see how many workouts I’m getting — those “calisthenics” are how I categorize my AbsoluteFIT workouts, which I average four per week. You get credit for other stuff too, like walking, biking, or playing “Magic Power Rangers” with the kids, so jot that down too.
Want to replace some current not-so-good habits with better ones? No better time to start than right now …
—Lydia M.
Marcy Poindexter, Team AVAC®
Exercise is essential to losing weight – and keeping it off. There are tons of ways to get your heart pumping, but here are three types of workouts that will optimize fat loss and accelerate your results.
via Men’s Fitness
HIIT – If you want to be a calorie-burning machine, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the key. This means pushing yourself during short bursts of your workout session so you’re exercising at close to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR) and then recovering at a lower intensity of roughly 70 percent of your (MHR). These intervals can range anywhere from 20 seconds to two minutes, depending on your level of fitness. Figuring out your MHR is simple – just subtract your age from 220. So if you’re 35, your MHR is 185 beats a minute.
HIIT training is one of the best ways to enhance your afterburn, which means you will not only burn calories during the workout, but long after the workout is over (this is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC). And you don’t just have to be on a treadmill to engage in HIIT training: You can perform intervals on any piece of cardio equipment (such as a bike, or rower, etc.,) or incorporate intense exercises like jumping jacks, mountain climbers and high knees into a 30-minute strength-training routine.
Resistance Training – Whether you’re using your own body weight or free weights, strength training (a.k.a. resistance training) rocks because, like HIIT training, it’s one of the fitness techniques that accelerates afterburn. That’s because after a tough resistance-training workout, your muscles are hard at work rebuilding themselves, burning up to 100 calories a day in the process. Be sure to do reps of those push-ups, triceps dips or dumbbell presses until the point of fatigue.
via ACE
Plyometrics – An advanced fitness technique best described as jump training, plyometrics consists of explosive movements than can significantly increase your strength, speed and endurance. Athletes have used this type of training for years to maximize their performance, but anyone can reap the benefits of this high-intensity exercise, which increases your metabolic rate for hours afterward. An example of plyometrics is a squat jump in which you squat down and spring upward out of the squat so your entire body leaves the ground.
-Marcy
Schedule a personal training session with Marcy Poindexter.
via – Lydia M., AbsoluteFIT Blogger Extraordinaire
I used to think I couldn’t do a thing like this, either.
Before AbsoluteFIT, I could not have imagined myself doing this — a plank-jack (like a jumping jack, but on the floor, starting from a full-extension plank), on gliders, with a pushup, and a knee tuck in between each pushup. What nonsense to even suggest it — I can’t do THAT!!!
Well:
That’s Marcy’s voice you can hear on the video, yelling at me — she’s motivational, our Marcy! Heh. But look — I’m doing the move! And although there’s just one in the video, we did a whole bunch of them that day. You get stronger when you do AbsoluteFIT, y’all — you impress the heck out of yourself on the regular. You’re like, “How are those my arms??? MY ARMS!!!”
Get in the studio, y’all — it’s time to impress yourself.
—Lydia M.
Lydia Markoff is an Almaden-area writer, mom, and fitness enthusiast with Texas roots, a New York education, and a Californian heart. She plays bass, reads a lot, watches too much TV, and can be found in the AbsoluteFIT studio three to five times a week. Her life goals include having a body like Linda Hamilton’s in Terminator 2, and/or having Bill Murray randomly crash a party she is attending. If you need something from her, try bribing her with good coffee or cold beer; odds are, she wants one or the other of those right now.
via – Lydia M., AbsoluteFIT
We use a lot of different equipment in AbsoluteFIT workouts; some of it, you can tell what it’s for (e.g. dumbbells are pretty self-explanatory), and some of it is … not. Heh. But the trainers explain everything, they’ll show you the form, they’ll make adjustments based on your fitness level and experience, and — this is the best part — using all this new stuff, you never get bored.
Case in point: Watch my friend Fiona give ‘em heck* on the heavy ropes:
Did she know how to do that before a trainer showed her? No — but look how awesome she is at it now!
Get into the studio and pick up something weird today!
—Lydia M.
*it’s heck because she’s Canadian, eh.
Adapted from simplegreensmoothies.com
1) Blend in stages to avoid leafy chunks. [I personally think this one is the most important!] Chewing your green smoothie is no fun! To get a “smooth” green smoothie experience, blend up your leafy greens and liquid-base first. Then add your remaining fruits and blend again.
2) Follow the 60/40 formula. When you’re making your first few green smoothies, don’t just throw things in the blender. Chances are, it’ll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate. Use the 60% fruit/40% greens rule. Add chia seeds and/or some protein powder to round out your 60/40 formula, and voila! You’ve just created the perfect meal.
3) Freeze your fruits & forego the ice. Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries. This is also a great way to not waste ripe fruits (like those brown bananas on your counter). You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender (don’t defrost these fragile lil’ guys).
4) Avoid juices and artificial sweetners. Add naturally sweet fruits to any smoothie that tastes bitter or a bit too “green.” By sticking with naturally sweet fruits like bananas, mango, apples, pears or pitted date, we can easily avoid artificial sweeteners and processed sugars. The healthiest bases use filtered water or your favorite milk substitute.
5) Make smoothies ahead for the perfect fast food. Life can get crazy busy— especially in the morning. That’s why we think green smoothies are the healthiest fast food for people who are constantly on the go. You can prep your green smoothies and blend the night before and store it in your fridge (up to 2 days). Use an airtight lid to limit oxidation and keep it as fresh as possible. When ready to drink, give it a good shake before you open.
Daily Burn has some great GREEN smoothies that you can try at home.
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