At HomeBodyFit, we love functional fitness, otherwise known as training your body to handle real-life activities in real-life positions. For example, our training programs are not confined to lifting weight in an idealized posture conceived by a gym machine. Conventional weight-training (which is great and should be a part of of your fitness routine) isolates muscle groups, but functional fitness routines take your regime one step further and teaches the muscle groups you’re isolating to work with others,
One example, The Wood Chop!
How to do The Wood Chop
All you need is a medicine ball (we have 8 to 20-pounders available for our clients).
Holding the ball with both hands, squat down with the ball over one knee.
With control, explosively swing the ball over your opposite shoulder.
Important! Concentrate on decelerating the ball with your core.
Benefits:
Slimmed waistline
Strong core
Defined shoulders
The HomeBodyFit Wood Chop Circuit (Advanced)
Do 10 reps of The Wood Chop on each side and repeat four times
Yellowfin Tuna – This meaty swimmer delivers a boatload of easily digested, premium-quality protein
Pump up your protein intake with Bodybuilding.com’s top 40 ultimate protein picks.
by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Let us count the reasons we’re obsessed with protein. For one, you need enough of this benevolent macronutrient to build and repair muscle. It also plays a role in revving fat-burning metabolism and reducing the hunger pangs that can lead to an attack on the vending machine. Additionally, protein works to slow the release of carbohydrates into your bloodstream, which can prevent the sudden spikes in blood sugar that are thought to encourage fat storage and sagging energy levels.
Here are three tips for healthy eating and better balance
Enjoy food is a large part of achieving balance
How to enjoy dessert…guilt-free!
The goal at HomeBodyFit is to help our clients achieve better balance in their lives. We assist clients with incorporating the optimum amount of exercise into their their week; followed by plenty of rest for recover and muscle repair and healthy eating habits. But what’s also included in achieving balance? INDULGENCE! That’s right, life is for living and what good is looking and feeling your best without enjoying something decadent and sinful once in a while.
So the next time you’re craving dessert, here’s a tip for enjoying it guilt free (while making room): omit the carbs (e.g. rice, potatoes, bread) from your lunch or dinner plate, substitute with more veggies and greens (see below) and dig into that brownie and ice cream with abandon.
Eat more greets!
More greens
Add spinach or a greens powder to your smoothie, steam kale and serve with meat or fish for lunch or dinner…whatever your preference, eat greens at least once a day.
“Greens benefit every cell of your body and deliver more nutrients calorie for calorie than just about any other food on the planet.”
Frank Lipman
M.D., founder of Eleven-Eleven Wellness Center in New York City
Eat more protein for breakfast
Protein for breakfast
Our clients hear this one all the time…enjoy a protein-rich breakfast every morning. It satisfies one longer so you’re less likely to snack; you’ll also make better choices for the rest of the day…and it refuels your body after sleep.
Try two scrambled eggs with half a cup of egg whites, avocado and two slices of turkey bacon on thinly sliced sprouted grains toast.
Or if you’re breaking a serious cereal habit, try a protein shake with half a cup of oats to satisfy your sweet tooth.
“After intense training whey isolate’s fast digestion helps helps speed recovery and increase the potential for lean muscle growth”
Jamie Eason, Fitness Expert
Our clients are continuously asking us about protein supplements and we’re big fans of Whey Protein Isolate. Not familiar with this supplement? Here is a quick, one-minute introduction.
Burn upwards of 1000 calories/hour with Burlington Body Camp
At Burlington Body Camp, we take fitness to the next level! For each workout, we string together a series of body-weight interval training circuits that scorch calories, boost endurance and improve muscle endurance. Register today to secure your spot!
Registration Now Open for our Fall Session
Starts: October 6, 2014
When: Mondays & Thursdays, 7pm or 8pm
Where: New location! Creative Edge Dance Studio 1160 Blair Rd #11, Burlington
Mountain Climbers are an incredibly challenging exercise, but they are worth it! They scorch calories, boost your metabolism, pump up your heart rate and strengthen legs and core muscles. And the best part is…you can do them anywhere!
Even if you only do one HomeBodyFit circuit, (below) you’ll boost your calorie burn for the day – 300+ calories worth!
How to do Mountain Climbers
Come to a push-up position with your knees off the floor and your hands shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be positioned slightly ahead of of your shoulders and your fingers pointed forward.
Bring one foot forward like a lunge and place it on the floor under your chest with your thigh towards your chest. Keep your other leg straight and strong and your toes are tucked under with your heel up. Engage your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
With your hands firmly on the ground, abdominal muscles engaged and shoulders strong, jump to switch leg positions. Both feet leave the ground as legs switch positions. Repeat at maximum intensity for best results.
HomeBodyFit Tabata Mountain Climbers – Advanced
Work this circuit into your next session. All you need is a stopwatch. Remember, for best results you need to perform these at maximum intensity.
Perform mountain climbers (engaging your abdominal muscles and keeping your shoulders strong) for 20 seconds. Rest or 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times.
Looking to take a break from protein bars? Here’s a BodyBuilding.com recipe for gooey, soft and intensely chocolaty cookies with extra protein.
Double Chocolate Protein Cookies
2 tbsp cashew nut butter
1/4 cup whey protein powder
1/4 almond milk
1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut flour
10 g 85% dark chocolate Directions
1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together with a spoon.
2. Bake as two “blobs,” or four if you want to make smaller cookies. Use a nonstick or silicone cookie tray.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 C) for about 25 minutes, or until the cookies are baked on the top and bottom but not fully cooked through. You want them gooey and soft in the center so they’re chewy instead of dry.
Work your back and biceps at home with a chin-up bar!
Chin-ups (or Pull-ups) are an excellent body weight exercise you can do at home with a chin-up bar…or head to your local park and use the monkey bars. Combine them with push-ups and you have a balanced, major-muscle groups circuit and a solid cardiovascular workout.
How to do Chin-ups and Pull-ups
Chin-ups
Face the bar and grab it with your palms facing you, keeping your arms shoulder width apart
Pull yourself up…and the trick is to do it slowly (when you jerk yourself up, you don’t get the full benefit of the chin-up)
Keep your body steady and don’t sway
Pull-ups
Face the bar and grab it with your palms facing away from you, with your arms beyond shoulder width apart
Pull yourself up…until your chest touches the bar, concentrating on your lats (the muscles below your armpits)
Note: This method is the more difficult of the two, so take your time and build up to this one.
Interested in starting an at-home fitness program? Learn more about HomeBodyFit here!