Anti-Flu Brew

Two days ago I started feeling "under the weather" out of no where. I was sneezing my head off (I was obnoxiously sneezing every few minutes so I literally thought my head was going to pop off with how hard my body was shaking), I got a terrible headache and my throat was so sore. With this CRAZY Flu outbreak spreading across America I freaked thinking that I was going to get the flu and keel over! To avoid being another victim of this life-taking virus I TOOK ACTION!

I rolled out of bed the next morning and went to the gym despite the claims of some who say that working out can potentially worsen symptoms, to the contrary it helped. 

It really depends on what symptoms you have AND where they are located in your body. Typically, if they are above the throat (like a headache) you are good to go. If you have body aches and chest congestion then it's best to see your doc. 

Anyway, after the gym my son and I went right to the grocery store to pick up fresh Ginger Root, Oranges, and Honey. Green tea was part of the recipe in my head but I maintain a stockpile of that so I didn't need any. 

When we got home I put an 8-cup pot of water on the stove and brought it to a boil. While it was heating up, I peeled and rough-chopped the Ginger Root and peeled 1 Orange. Once the water boiled, I put the Ginger Root, Orange Peel and 8 Green Tea bags in and steeped for 5 minutes. 

I poured some in a cup over ice to drink immediately, put the rest in a pitcher and placed it in the fridge for later use. 

My 2-yr-old saw the "coffee" (he knows mommy's coffee cup by heart) and wanted a taste. Since he doesn't know what coffee actually tastes like I let him sip my tea and he was excited that he was drinking coffee! Next thing I knew the whole damn cup was gone so I had to get my own! I am definitely not going to complain that he drank something so healthy!!! And to top off our healthy drink we snacked on sliced apples and celery! YUMMY!

Later, I used some of the brew in a shake that I made my husband and I for our after-dinner treat. Added:
Strawberries
Frozen Blueberries (my son ate a bunch as his snack)
Spinach
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Ice 
Drizzle of Honey

All this went down yesterday and I am happy to report that I actually woke up feeling a bit better today! In fact, my planned 3-mile run turned into 5 miles, 20 minutes on the Stepper followed by some killer CORE STRENGTHENING EXERCISES!

Try out the brew and add it to your favorite fruit and veggie shakes to give them a healthier kick OR just drink it by itself, hot or cold and with/without a bit of honey to taste!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com
Facebook.com/healthyathomept

Mini Makeovers Melt Muffin-Tops!

OK, I completely understand that the title of this post is ridiculous! I was driving back from Old Navy and was beyond excited about having only spent $20 TOTAL on a dress, women's tank top, 2 women's t-shirts, 1 men's t-shirt, 1 men's long-sleeve shirt AND a Thomas the Train metal lunchbox!

When I am driving around I have the ability to clear my mind so I often think of things to write up for my blog or different exercise routines. The clear mind PLUS excitement of my purchase MADE me choose this title...but I promise you the information enclosed is worthwhile and not the least bit silly!

"Mini Makeovers Melt Muffin-Tops" translates into small changes get results. 

There are so many things that each and every one of us do in our lives that goes against our goals. For example, you want to lose 4 pounds this month but you always drive around the parking lot until you get the closest spot, you yell at the barista if they skimp on the whipped cream that tops your whole-fat latte, and you consider 10 minutes in the gym sauna your workout!

You cannot go through life always making the "easy" choices and expect things to turn out a certain way. You have to identify your goals and set a path to reach those goals, otherwise, the continuous self-pity can be exhausting!

There are so many little changes that you can make in your daily life that yield a big return on investment (haha...taking HR classes now so don't be alarmed with my casual use of some phrases I have picked up). 

Here are a few SMALL CHANGES FOR A HEALTHIER LIFE:

• NEVER skip breakfast
• Drink 8 oz of water as soon as you wake up (and with every meal/snack)
• Eat fruit and/or veggies during EVERY meal (white potatoes/fries don't count)
• Brush your teeth after a meal
• Re-arrange your fridge (put fruit and veggies in eye-sight so when a snack craving hits you will be more likely to grab an apple than a slice of left-over pizza)
• Feeling lonely, bored, or whatever other feeling that usually results in eating junk?...call a friend, sister, brother, etc. instead
• SLOW DOWN. We tend to speed through life later wondering where time went. This type of living also makes you more anxious and more susceptible to making poor food choices. 
• Do something for someone else. When you help someone your endorphins increase and you feel more energized...use that energy for your workout!
• Mix up your EXERCISE ROUTINE and PLAYLIST 
• Avoid white rice, pasta and bread...choose whole grain for more fiber and protein (keep in mind calorie count is the same so it doesn't give you an excuse to eat more)
• Say "NO" to diet stuff! The artificial sweeteners are not only bad for you but they can increase your appetite for the real thing. You will end up eating the diet version PLUS the real stuff!
• Introduce healthy cooking and activities to your kids. Making healthy choices will be easier if everyone is doing it!
• Mix in more veggies in your recipes. There are so many ways to incorporate veggies in the main dish, not just the sides. 
• Take the stairs not the excavator or elevator!
• Lay out or pack your gym clothes the night before
• Schedule in workout time in your daily to-do list
• THE LIST GOES ON BUT THIS IS A START!!!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com
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Health And Fitness Is Not Just About Fitting Into Your Skinny Jeans!

Having a flat stomach, tight butt and lean legs are things that most women strive for when they think about exercising. The fact the summer, aka bathing suit season, always seems to be right around the corner (it's in 146 days from today...June 21st, 2013!) is usually daunting once we surpass the New Years. In fact, most people tie their New Years Resolutions to something weight-loss related in preparation for being able to comfortably go to the beach!

If looking good is enough to get you to workout at least 30 minutes a day at a moderate to high-intensity than that's fantastic! I am not going to hate on you and to be completely honest, I would say about 50% of my reasoning to workout is contributed to liking how I look. ;)

BUT there are way more [important] reasons to become a daily exerciser. An unbelievable number of people have been diagnosed with serious health conditions. Key word there is "diagnosed"...there are likely an almost equal amount of people who have not yet been diagnosed because they don't go to the doctor or don't get tested. I'm talking about health issues such as obesity (this alone leads to a crazy amount of terrible health problems), diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and even cancer AND the list goes on!

As a personal trainer I have worked with people who have battled diseases likely caused by poor lifestyle choices. I know that a sound exercise program, if appropriately prescribed and adhered to, is the one thing that can help you beat back the progress of any health related condition. 

Obesity is one of the greatest health challenges of our time. Increasing consumption of fatty, greasy, processed food and lack of physical movement is only going to make our world become fatter. The answer to fix such problem is easy; CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. Consume less but better quality food. Create opportunities for daily fitness in everyday life AND exercise programs. The most important thing to understand about the severity of being obese IS NOT YOUR SCALE WEIGHT, but the health complications it exposes you to. 

Heart attacks kill a ridiculous number of people every year and high blood pressure and diabetes are affecting younger and younger people with every generation. Our diets continue to get worse and less balanced and video games have become a convenient babysitter. It's no wonder why kids who haven't even reached double-digit ages are being treated for heart disease! And the crazy thing about heart disease is that it does not only affect people who are obese-fat, it also affect those skinny-fat people...the ones who eat junk all the time and still appear thin. 

Bottom Line: Eat better for your health and get in some form of daily activity. Don't just live for the now, live for your future!

Best of Health,

Amanda Chubb

www.healthyathomept.com

www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

Feeling Strong And Loving It! Try This Workout For Yourself!

I commend everyone who chooses to make the life-changing decision to start lifting weights! It can be an extremely intimidating experience...especially if you have only known cardio equipment your entire "workout life". But I will tell you what, there is nothing like it. 

For those ladies who say that they avoid lifting any weights (or anything above the ones that weigh less than most newborns) because they don't want to bulk up, I say you are not going to have to worry about that if you workout correctly. 

Strength training, weight training, resistance training or whatever else you refer to it as does not mean that you are going to have thick thighs or massive guns. Believe me...I lift a decent amount of weight and I do not look like a bodybuilder! Just lean and strong! 

To the contrary, adding endurance weight training is going to help you develop lean muscles which will make you tighter, more slender and will greatly contribute to increased calorie expenditure even at rest! 

As with any other type of training, you can hit a plateau. The important thing to keep in mind is that there are SO MANY variations of exercises to work every muscle group so change it up often. Secondly, but no less important, do not start out with say 8 lb weights and always stick with them. As you develop your muscles, your training, your body and your strength it is important to keep a constant challenge so do not be afraid to bump up the weights after you are conditioned!

Here is an upper body session I did yesterday that is still making me feel DAMN GOOD!

Obviously, by looking at the below you can see there are a lot of exercises. Complete 30 sec of each exercise in (1) for a total of 3 minutes. Go right from push-ups, to tri's and start right back over. 

For the rest of the sets (#'s 2-7), use a weight that allows you to lift roughly 12-15 reps (this means it will be fairly light AND will allow you to use minimal rest time). Be extremely cautious on utilizing good form and save the need to rush for the rest periods (Basically, do it right not fast and don't rest too long). 

After you do the 3 minute push-up/tri-cep dip warm-up complete each of the sets 2-3 times. Complete #2, move to #3, #4, etc.

1  Push-ups
    Tri-cep Dips

2  Preacher Curls
    Dumbbell Kickbacks

3  Concentration Curls (while in squat position)
    Skull Crushers

4  Lateral Raises
    Bent-Over Delt Raises
    Single-arm Seated Shoulder Press

5  Cross-body Curls
    Seated Tri-cep Extensions

6  Close Grip Cable Curls
    Tri-cep Pull-downs
    Lat Pull-downs

7  Chest Flye
    Bent-over Barbell-weight Row
    Squat w/barbell-weight overhead press

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

A Workout To Maximize Your Results In A Shorter Time!

Shamefully, I admit that I was once one of those women who went to the gym nearly every day of the week to run on the treadmill, jump off after at least 30 minutes then hope on to the elliptical for at least another 30 minutes, and then on to the next cardio machine! Sometimes I would do at least an hour on each!!!

Is that crazy? VERY!

Not only was it crazy but it was a huge waste of time and really beat my body up! I was not incorporating any strength training at all so not only was I doing an excessive amount of cardio but I was putting my spaghetti arms and legs through a constant beating! 

One day I woke up and realized that the only thing I got from the ridiculous amount of time I spent in the gym was stick figure arms and legs and a flat butt! I started picking up the weights and loved how my body started shaping and let me tell you, feeling strong physically does loads to helping you feel stronger emotionally and mentally!!!

I never lost my addiction to cardio, but I have certainly minimized it substantially. Now, I only do cardio machines 3 times a week. I also do 3 days of weight training with Plyometrics moves mixed in to keep my heartrate up and I take 1 rest day. 

 *****Here is a workout I did the other day for Legs/Core*****

5 Minutes Treadmill Warm-up: 10% Incline, 3.5 Speed

1 TRI-SET (10-15 reps each)
   Deadlift
   Plie Squat
   Front Loaded Squat

1 CARDIO  (10-15 reps of each OR 30 seconds each)
   a. 180 Squat Jumps- Squat down and as you jump up twist until you turn your body 180 degrees. 

   b. Reverse Lunge w/Front Kick- From standing position, step back with right leg and bring your   knee down until both legs complete 90 degree angles. Push off the floor with your right leg and bring it into a kick in front of you. Complete reps, switch to opposite leg. 

   c. Clock Jumps- Jump forward, back, to the left then to the right. Continue for set amount of time or sets.

   d. Speed Skaters- Cross your left leg behind your right leg as you bend your right knee 90 degrees. Extend your right arm out to your side and swing your left arm across your right leg. Jump a few feet to the other side, switching the position of your legs and arms. That’s one rep. Continue jumping from side to side until you’ve done completed reps or set time. 

   e. Pop Squats- Stand with arms extended overhead (or at shoulder height). Place feet slightly wider than hip-width with toes slightly pointed outward. Sit back into a squat (make sure knees don't go over toes), push through your heels and jump up. Immediately land back into a squat and continue until you complete reps or set time. 

   f. Toe-Taps- Stand in front of a step or bench. Tap toes of left foot onto the edge of the step/bench. Alternate feet at a fast speed keeping only one foot on the floor/one on the step/bench at all times. Tip: Keep your shoulders relaxed. The more you do and faster you go you will notice building tension in your shoulders. Remember to relax them and breath and the exercise will not be as taxing. 

~Complete TRI-SET exercises immediately followed by CARDIO exercises. Rest for 30-45 seconds, repeat for a total of 2-3 sets before moving to (2) exercises below. 

2 TRI-SET  (10-15 Reps Each)

Split Squat
Hamstring Curls (stability ball)
Calf Raises

2 CARDIO (SAME AS ABOVE)

~Complete TRI-SET exercises immediately followed by CARDIO exercises. Rest for 30-45 seconds, repeat for a total of 2-3 sets before moving to (3) exercises below.

3 TRI-SET
Hip Abductors
Hip Adductors
Donkey Kicks

3 CARDIO (SAME AS ABOVE)

Finish with another 5 minute treadmill walk followed by stretching. 

TIPS TO MAKE IT SHORTER: 
- Follow exactly as above but make sure to keep rest times no more than 30 seconds

- Do only 2 sets of each and follow as listed

- Complete only 1 set of each TRI-SET 1, CARDIO, TRI-SET 2, CARDIO, TRI-SET 3

- Do only CARDIO. Complete each exercise back to back, rest for 30-45 seconds and complete up to a total of 4 times.

EVERY WORKOUT CAN BE MODIFIED TO FIT YOUR FITNESS LEVEL AND YOUR SCHEDULE!!! NO EXCUSES!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

Fitness And Nutrition Go Hand-In-Hand

Some fitness/nutrition mistakes that you may be guilty of:

1- You go to the gym to catch up on gossip!

2- You wait in line for an elliptical or treadmill rather than attempt to lift a weight!

3- You don't drink enough water!

4- You don't eat enough calories!

5- You wait 3 or more hours before eating again!

6- You don't eat foods that keep you full!

7- You have cheat meals everyday!

8- You sit down all day or most of the day!

9- You drive around the parking lot until you find the closet spot!

10- You wait in line for the elevator...right next to the stairs!

11-You wear sweats or stretchy pants all the time!

12- You break out food groups by: salty, sweet and crispy/crunchy!

Nutrition is a big part of a healthy lifestyle. 

Fitness is a big part of a healthy lifestyle.

You need to focus on improving both in order to truly live a healthy lifestyle. Your fitness efforts will never be 100% unless you fuel your body with the proper nutrition to support your activities. At the same time, nutrition alone does not cut it when trying to live healthy. 

Think about how you feel (physically) after eating, say, a donut for breakfast. You are likely hungry and/or tired very soon after leading you to eat yet another donut or decide to lay around rather than hit the gym. What's happening is that your body did not get any fiber or protein to keep you filled and energized. What it did was fill your body with "bad" carbs that makes fat stick to all the wrong places! Clearly this is not a meal option that is going to motivate you to get to the gym or get in a good workout...you might feel a bit motivated by the muffin top that may be forming...but you're not going to  have the energy to actually do anything about it!

On the other hand, you can eat great all day long. Things such as whole grains, low-fat dairy, veggies, fruit, lean meat/fish, etc. are great staples in a healthy-girls diet! But simply picking up an apple a day is not going to build any muscle! Eating healthy does not strengthen your body. You need muscle to help you accomplish daily-living activities now and when you are older and the sooner you start the better. A couple other good mentions are that strength-training improves bone health AND helps keep your metabolism revved. Let's face it, who doesn't want that?! 

See how fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand?!

Stay Beautiful Inside and Out,

Amanda

www.healthyathomept.com

www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

FAIL To Look Good

Yes, I am vain. I workout to look good...in my clothes and out! BUT I also love the fact that I can pick my 28-lb son up with ease, walk up and down the stairs constantly (my little guy likes to play upstairs and call down for me to bring him his sippy and snacks!) and actually LIVE life.

So how can you get a great workout in a short time  that gets you sexy and stronger, you ask? One of the most effective methods I have used and recommend to my clients is to workout to failure or near-failure. This type of training should not last longer than roughly 45 minutes.

I definitely DO NOT recommend someone new to exercising to workout to failure, and often recommend those who are "pros" to focus most of their muscle group on working to near-failure. True failure leaves your muscle pretty much incapacitated so you really have to plan your workout to make sure you have the energy and ability to perform correctly.

If you are new to training you can certainly work your way up to exercising to failure. Here's a quick example of one way to do it:

Always start with a warm-up of the muscle groups you will be working, use about 50% intensity. 
                   SETS          REPS           INTENSITY 
WEEK 1-      3                 10                       75%
WEEK 2-      3                 10                       85%
WEEK 3-      3                 10                       95%
WEEK 4-      4                  5                        75%
WEEK 5-      4                  5                        85%
WEEK 6-      4                  5                        95-100%

Cycling it like this allows you to build and recover. NOTE: the intensity is going to be relative to YOUR fitness level. Percentage refers to how much weight you can lift. 

Keep these things in mind:
-Keep your session short-if you overtrain you are hurting yourself, not helping. 
-Depending on the exercises you are doing you will likely need a workout partner. 
-Choose appropriate weights for the amount of reps you will do. If you are shooting for 10 reps do not choose a weight that allows you to do 11 reps. 
-PROPER FORM is a must! Really, anytime you workout using any type of method you should allows be conscience of your form. Use full range of motion and DO NOT jerk the weight up...use lighter weight if you have to.  
-Take days off from weight training. If you are sticking with working to failure for the next several weeks you must avoid working out back-to-back days. Fill the other days with active rest or cardio. 
-Finally, keep a log. How else are you going to accurately track any progression??

Best of Health,
Amanda
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

Don't Let FOOD Take Over Your Life

Have you ever noticed how long it took to eat a candy bar, a bag of chips, or that burger and fries from the drive-through? I can bet you that it wasn't very long! 

How about how long it took after eating that junk that you became hungry again? I can bet you that it wasn't very long!

As a person that steers clear of that stuff 99% of that time (and when I do "indulge" I will have a couple bites or less!) I cannot imagine how some people live eating food that is soaked in grease, is filled with preservatives and/or comes in a bag!

Don't get me wrong, I am not hating on anyone, I just literally cannot comprehend how they survive on that kind of food and feel satisfied and energized. 

The times that I do eat junk I rarely feel a sense of satisfaction. As a matter of fact, the times when I feel like I have a craving and indulge in it I find myself wondering why I ever had a craving in the first place because the "treat" or "cheat" was not fulfilling. 

I am a very active person in all aspects of my life, gym/work/home, so I'm sure that those feelings of I HAVE TO HAVE CHIPS NOW is because I sometimes do not fuel myself properly. Meaning, I do not eat ENOUGH to energize me for my activity level. 

So what if you are already set in your ways and ADDICTED to crappy food? It may not be easy, but the best way is to take what you crave the absolute most and cut it out of your life! Do not try to wean yourself because as you continue to give yourself that taste of whatever it is, you are always going to want it and will not be able to phase it out of your life. 

My suggestion to make it a little easier is this: if you are an ice cream addict, for example, throw whatever you have in your freezer away and replace it with something like 0% Fruit-On-The-Bottom Greek Yogurt. Two things here that help you take control:

1. You are making the decision to get rid of it (rather than letting yourself finish it off)

2. You are not completely depriving yourself of whatever it is you crave. You probably like ice cream because it's cold, creamy and sweet. Well, if you take the Greek yogurt I mentioned and put it in the freezer for a bit you will get very similar results (don't buy frozen yogurt because that's filled with sugar!)

**TIP: If you can avoid eating the fruit on the bottom I highly recommend it. The yogurt still gets the flavor of the fruit without even having to mix it. If you want more texture mix in some fresh or frozen berries and discard of the sugary fruit on the bottom. 

Each time you eat these things that you THINK you want you are screwing up any potential results from your workouts. YOU are the only one that can make YOU healthier. I small step at a time...YOU CAN DO IT!

Best of Health,
Amanda
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

LEGS Workout That I Am Sure To Feel Until Next Year!

I vowed to myself that I will always make every single workout session worthwhile...even on days where I would prefer to be laying on my couch or curled up in bed. My reason? I know that I will be a basket-case later in the day if I do not work out and even more irritated if I waste my time on a half-assed training session!

It wasn't my New Years Resolution to workout harder, but for some reason I entered this new year with a workout more fierce than usual AND IT FELT DAMN GOOD! (My resolution this year was to always smile...I let things bring me down or stress me out often and figured who could be pissed off, stressed or down if they are smiling?!...I'll let you know how it works out!)

So anyway, here is what I did this morning that I am still feeling at this very moment and can expect to feel tomorrow:

Forward Walking Lunges w/Weights	30 Steps Each Leg	2-3 Sets
Reverse Walking Lunges w/Weights	30 Steps Each Leg	2-3 Sets
Stiff-legged Deadlift	12-15 Reps	3 Sets
High Knees	30 Seconds	3 Sets
Front-loaded Squats	10-15 Reps	3 Sets
Bridges on BOSU Ball	20 Reps Each Leg	3 Sets
Walking Weighted Side-Steps	10 Left / 10 Right	3 Sets
Weighted Raised Heel Plié Squats	15-20 Reps	3 Sets
Bodyweight Squats Jumps	30 Seconds	3 Sets
Side Step-Ups	15-20 Each Leg	3 Sets
Side Squats on BOSU Ball	15-20 Each Leg	3 Sets
Prone Leg-Curls (weight between feet)	15-20 Reps	3 Sets
Single-Leg Deadlift w/ Barbell	15 Each Leg	3 Sets
Jump Rope	30 Seconds	3 Sets
Seated Calf Raises	15-20 Reps	3 Sets
Donkey Calf Raise	15-20 Reps	3 Sets

In addition to a great workout I have been fueling my body with a more balanced diet. Lots of lean protein, cut back on salt, minimized the fats I use but kept them healthy (almonds and olive oil), and increased my veggie intake. FEELING GOOD!

In Good Health,
Amanda
www.healthyathomept.com